Yakima - Michael C. Ormsby, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Vincent Piel III., age 44, of the Yakama Nation Indian Reservation, was sentenced today after having previously plead guilty to attempted sexual abuse of a minor. United States District Judge Stanley Bastian sentenced Piel to a 15 year term of imprisonment. Upon release from federal prison, Piel will be under court supervision for the remainder of his life.
On December 4, 2015, Yakama Nation Tribal Police officers received a report of a sexual assault of a minor. Tribal Police officers, together with Special Agents with the FBI, conducted a joint investigation into the allegations. On February 9, 2016, Piel was charged by Indictment with Attempted Sexual Abuse of a Minor and Attempted Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor. Piel subsequently pled guilty to Attempted Sexual Abuse of a Minor charge.
Michael C. Ormsby said, “The United States Attorney’s Office and its law enforcement partners are committed to protecting children who live in the Eastern District of Washington, including those children who live within the boundaries of the Yakama Nation Reservation. I commend the Yakama Nation Tribal Police and the FBI for their efforts in investigating this case. My office will continue to prosecute aggressively and seek appropriate prison sentences to remove from our communities offenders who commit crimes against children."
This investigation was conducted by the Yakama Nation Tribal Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case was prosecuted by Laurel J. Holland, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
