District Man Sentenced to 21 Years in Prison For Sexually Assaulting Woman in Northwest Washington Alley

            WASHINGTON – George Cocroft, 38, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 21 years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman in an alley in Northwest Washington, Acting U.S. Attorney Vincent H. Cohen, Jr. announced.

            Cocroft, a prior sex offender, was found guilty in March 2015 of first-degree sexual abuse, with aggravating circumstances. The verdict, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, followed a bench trial before the Honorable Robert E. Morin. Judge Morin ordered that Cocroft be placed on five years of supervised release following the prison term. Cocroft also 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 Cocroft that she did not want to have sex.  She said that they should wait until they were older and married.  Cocroft 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.  Cocroft was subsequently arrested pursuant to an arrest warrant and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, Acting U.S. Attorney Cohen 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.