CHARLESTON, W.Va. - U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin today announced that a Charleston man pleaded guilty in federal court for failing to register as a sex offender as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (“SORNA"). Samuel Bailey Jr., 52, of Charleston, pleaded guilty in federal court in Charleston.
On February 5, 1979, Bailey was convicted in the Supreme Court, Monroe County, New York, of first degree rape. As a result of this sex offense conviction, Bailey was required to register as a sex offender for life.
Bailey registered as a sex offender in West Virginia on July 13, 2011. An investigation revealed that in September 2012, Bailey traveled from West Virginia to Ohio, where he resided in and around Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio until March of 2013. Following his travel to Ohio, Bailey was required to update his sex offender registration under SORNA. Bailey failed to register as a sex offender in Ohio for the six months he resided there. The defendant also failed to update his sex offender status in West Virginia.
Bailey faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine when he is sentenced on Sept. 12, 2013 by United States District Judge Thomas E. Johnston.
The United States Marshals Service conducted the investigation. The West Virginia State Police and the City of Columbus Police Department also assisted the investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Erik S. Goes is in charge of the prosecution.
This case is being brought as part of U.S. Attorney Goodwin’s ongoing initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse in the Southern District of West Virginia.
The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act which is Title I of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006 (Public Law 109-248). SORNA provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
