WASHINGTON - A 45-year-old man, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a 30-month prison term for sexually assaulting two nieces and a stepdaughter, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.
The man, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victims, pled guilty in February 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to one count of second-degree child sexual abuse and two counts of misdemeanor sexual abuse of a child. The plea, which was contingent upon the Court’s approval, called for an agreed-upon sentence of 30 months in prison. The Honorable Hiram E. Puig-Lugo accepted the plea today and sentenced the defendant accordingly. Following his prison term, the man is to be placed on three years of supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.
At his plea hearing, the man admitted that, on one occasion between Dec. 1 and Dec. 22, 2016, he sexually fondled two of his nieces, then aged eight and nine, on the same evening, while visiting their home in Northwest Washington. The girls told their mother - the man’s sister - who notified the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).
Further investigation by the police revealed that the man had been fondling his 15-year-old stepdaughter on various occasions throughout 2016. The man admitted his guilt at almost his earliest opportunity in the court proceedings.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Phillips praised the work of officers from MPD’s Sexual Assault Unit. He also expressed appreciation for the work of personnel from Safe Shores, who conducted forensic interviews of the three victims. He also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Brenda C. Williams and Victim/Witness Advocate Elsa Maltese. Finally, U.S. Attorney Phillips commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Peter V. Taylor and Caroline Burrell, who investigated and prosecuted this case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
