Washington, D.C. – A 23-year-old Southeast District of Columbia man, Edwin Wright, pled guilty yesterday in D.C. Superior Court to Third Degree Sexual Abuse, Misdemeanor Sexual Abuse, and Assault, in connection with his one-night spree of assaults on women in downtown Washington this summer, U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor announced today.

Wright, formerly of the 200 block of Savannah Street, SE, entered his guilty plea before the Honorable Herbert B. Dixon, Jr. When he is sentenced on November 12, 2008, Wright will face a maximum possible sentence of nearly 11 years, and a likely sentence of 12-42 months in prison under the Voluntary Sentencing Guidelines.

According to the government’s evidence, Wright assaulted three women on August 11, 2008. He first punched a woman in the head as she walked in the 2400 block of Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, at 6:30 p.m. Fifteen minutes later, Wright attacked a woman in the Farragut North Metro Station by groping her breasts. Shortly thereafter, Wright attacked a woman walking in 1500 block of K Street NW, grabbing and holding her while he reached under her skirt to fondle her genitalia.

In announcing the guilty plea, U.S. Attorney Taylor praised the work of Detective Karen Zibrat and Officers Albert Salleh, Craig Solgate and Rochelle Reid, all of the Metropolitan Police Department, and Detective Brandon Twentymon and Officers Scott Whitfield, Spence Pines, Adib Goda, Frank Price, William Morgan and Latesia Christian, of Metro Transit Police. He also praised the work of Legal Assistant Tiffany Jones and Paralegal Jason Manuel. Lastly, he commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys Karen Weiss and Sharon Donovan, who investigated the case and presented it in court.