WASHINGTON - A 28-year-old Northeast District of Columbia man has been found guilty by a District of Columbia Superior Court jury of sexually assaulting his estranged wife earlier this year, U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor announced today.

The defendant (whose name is being withheld to protect the identity of the victim) was found guilty of first-degree sexual abuse on Monday of this week. When he is sentenced on November 20, 2008, by the Honorable James E. Boasberg, the defendant, formerly of the 1300 block of Eastern Avenue, NE, will face a maximum possible sentence of 30 years in prison, and a likely sentence of 12 to 24 years of incarceration under the Sentencing Guidelines.

According to the government’s evidence, in February 2008, the defendant had been separated from his wife for several months. In the very early morning hours of February 16, 2008, he went to her apartment on First Street, SE (PSA 706), and knocked on the door all night long begging for entry. She refused to let him inside until the sun came up. At that time, she allowed him to come inside and sleep on the living room floor. After sleeping in the living room for a short while, the defendant removed all of his clothing, snuck into his estranged wife’s bedroom and tried to get into bed with her. When she woke up and tried to stop the defendant, he locked her in the bedroom and forced her to have sex. As he did this, she screamed for the assistance of her 7-year-old daughter and 10-year-old cousin who were outside the bedroom door trying to gain entry.

In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Taylor praised the work of MPD Detective Steven Schwalm and Mobile Crime Lab Officers Tina Ramadhan, Grant Greenwalt and Michael Deprince. He also praised the work of Legal Assistants Tiffany Jones and Nicole Lee, Paralegal Specialists Jason Manuel and Eugena Johnson, Litigation Services Personnel Tyrone Bowie and Joseph Calvarese, Victim Advocate Tracey Hawkins, Child Witness Interview Specialist Karen Giannakoulis, and Criminal Investigator Durand Odom. Finally, he commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Sharon Donovan, who indicted and tried the case.