District Man Sentenced To 11-Year Prison Term For Sexual Assault Of Teenage Relative-Victim Came Forward Despite Defendant’s Warning Against Speaking Up-

     WASHINGTON – A 29-year-old man was sentenced today to 11 years in prison on a charge of first-degree sexual abuse stemming from an attack he carried out earlier this year against a 13-year-old girl, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced today.

     The defendant, of Washington, D.C., is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim. He pled guilty in April 2013 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Russell F. Canan sentenced him today. Upon completion of his prison term, the defendant will be placed on five years of supervised release. He also must register as a sex offender for at least 10 years following his release from prison.

     According to the government’s evidence, the girl is related to defendant and was at the Northwest Washington home of another relative on Jan. 9, 2013. That day, between 4 p.m. and 6:45 p.m., the defendant lured her away from other adults and sexually assaulted her. He warned her not to tell anyone what happened. The child, however, alerted her mother and the police.

     In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the officers and detectives of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit, who investigated the case. He also expressed appreciation to those at the U.S. Attorney’s Office who worked on the matter, including Paralegal Specialist D’Yvonne Key and Victim/Witness Advocate Lezlie Richardson. Finally, he acknowledged the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Mervin A. Bourne, Jr., who investigated and prosecuted the case.