District Man Found Guilty of Sexually Assaulting Woman In Northwest Washington Alley

           WASHINGTON – George Cocroft, 38, of Washington, D.C., was found guilty today of first-degree sexual abuse, with aggravating circumstances, for sexually assaulting a woman in an alley in Northwest Washington, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced.

           Cocroft was found guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia after a bench trial by the Honorable Robert E. Morin.  Cocroft, a prior sex offender, will be sentenced on May 22, 2015.  He faces up to life imprisonment without the possibility of release and will be required to register as a sex offender for the remainder of his life.

           According to the government’s evidence, on Nov. 25, 2012, the victim, then 19, traveled alone by Metro into the District of Columbia.  She has an intellectual disability and autism. At approximately 7 p.m., she went into a fast-food restaurant in the Chinatown neighborhood. Once inside, she encountered the defendant, a homeless man, who sat down with her and began complimenting her and holding her hand.

           Cocroft and the victim left the restaurant together, at which time the defendant led the victim into a dark alley.  The victim initially believed the defendant’s house was in the alley and that they were going to talk so that they could get to know each other better.

           Once in the alley, Cocroft began groping the victim and telling her he had not had sex in a long time.  The victim was scared and told the defendant that she did not want to have sex.  She said that they should wait until they were older and married.  The defendant did not stop, however.  He led her to a more secluded part of the alley and had her lie face down on concrete barriers.  Despite her continued protests, he sexually assaulted her.  After the assault, the victim reported what had happened to her to a Metro station manager.  The defendant was subsequently arrested pursuant to an arrest warrant.

           In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Machen praised the work performed by those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Sexual Assault Unit.  He also acknowledged the critical services provided to the victim at the District of Columbia Children’s Advocacy Center.  In addition, he expressed appreciation for the work of those who handled the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Veronica Vaughan; Paralegal Supervisor Jason Manuel; Paralegal Specialist Tierra Nanches; Information Technology Specialist Michael Richards; Victim/Witness Security Specialists David Foster and La June Thames; and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Heide Herrmann.  Finally, he commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy Zubrensky and Jeff T. Cook, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.