WASHINGTON - A Superior Court jury today found Juan Antonio Flores, a 34-year-old District of Columbia man, guilty of multiple counts of sexual abuse of his 9-year-old niece, U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor announced.

Flores, of the 600 block of Lamont Street, NW, was found guilty earlier today by a Superior Court jury of three counts of First Degree Child Sexual Abuse with Aggravating Circumstances. The Honorable Robert Morin presided over the trial. Sentencing is scheduled for January 21, 2009. Due to the aggravating circumstances in this case, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of life in prison without the possibility of release for these crimes, and a likely sentence of between 7½ and 22½ years, pursuant to the District of Columbia Voluntary Sentencing Guidelines.

The evidence at trial established that between May and September 2006, Flores's wife would sell pupusas on a street corner in Northwest Washington, D.C. On weekends, Flores would pick up the victim, his 9-year-old niece, from her home and take her to that street corner to help her aunt sell pupusas. On several occasions, however, Flores first took the victim to his home where he would sexually abuse her, then he would take her to meet her aunt. Flores told the victim that if she told anyone what he was doing to her that nobody would believe her. He also paid special attention to the victim and gave her gifts that he would not give to his other nieces and nephews, such as a camera, nail polish, and a plastic purple heart trinket.

The victim did not disclose the abuse to anyone until December 2006, when she spent the night at her God-sister's home. The victim's God-sister was talking to the victim about her boyfriend, and about the importance of being a virgin so that she could someday get married. The victim asked her God-sister what a virgin was, and when she heard the explanation, she suddenly began crying, and then disclosed that she must not be a virgin because of what her uncle "Tonio" had been doing to her. The victim's 13-year-old brother testified at trial about how the victim would cry when Flores, her uncle, would come to pick her up to help her aunt sell pupusas, how Flores would bring his own children to the victim's home and then how he would go alone with the victim, leaving the other children behind.

In announcing the guilty verdict, U.S. Attorney Taylor commended the lead MPD Youth Division Detective Maria Flores for her investigative work on this case. Mr. Taylor also praised the assistance of: Victim/Witness Advocate Iris Vega, who provided invaluable emotional support to the victim and her family; Karen Giannakoulias, Forensic Child Interviewing Specialist; and Paralegal Joyce Arthur and Legal Assistant Tiffany Jones. Finally, he commended former Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Foster, who investigated and indicted the case, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise Simmonds, who prepared and prosecuted the case at trial.