District Man Sentenced to 10 ½ Years in Prison
For Sexually Abusing 15-Year-Old Girl

     WASHINGTON - Marcelo Perez, 31, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to a prison term of 10 ½ years for sexually abusing a teenage girl, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

      Perez pled guilty in August 2011 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to a charge of first-degree child sexual abuse. He was sentenced by the Honorable William M. Jackson. Following his prison term, Perez will be placed on five years of supervised release.

      At the plea hearing, Perez admitted that on October 28, 2009, he sexually abused the victim, then 15, at an apartment in Northwest Washington, D.C. At the time of the assault, Perez was the boyfriend of the victim’s mother and had been living with the family for a number of years. He assaulted the victim late at night when he and the victim were the only ones at home.

     In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen expressed his appreciation to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), especially Detectives Andre Davis and Kim Holland. He also acknowledged the outstanding work of the Child and Adolescent Protection Center of the Children’s National Medical Center, which provided critical services and treatment to the victim.

     In addition, U.S. Attorney Machen commended the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Legal Assistant Ashley Patterson, Paralegals Joyce Arthur and Lynita Greene, Victim Advocate Melissa Milam, and John Marsh from the Criminal Investigations Unit. Lastly, he commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bridgette Tillman, Peter Taylor, Sharon Donovan, and Cassidy Kesler Pinegar, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

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