District Man Pleads Guilty To Sexual Assault Of Teenage Relative-Victim Came Forward Despite Defendant’s Warning Against Speaking Up-

     WASHINGTON – A 29-year-old man has pled guilty to 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 on April 18, 2013 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Russell F. Canan scheduled sentencing for June 14, 2013. The plea agreement, which is subject to the Court’s approval, calls for an 11-year prison term.

     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 guilty plea, 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.