Yakima Man Sentenced to 40 Months Imprisonment and Ten Years Supervised Release for Abusive Sexual Contact with a Child in Indian Country

Yakima, Washington –  Vanessa R. Waldref, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Raymond Lenard Holt, age 76 of Yakima, Washington has been sentenced after pleading guilty to Abusive Sexual Contact of a Minor occurring on the Yakama Nation. Chief United States District Judge Stanley A. Bastian imposed a sentence of forty months imprisonment to be followed by ten years of supervised release. In addition, Holt will be required to register as a sex offender.

According to Court documents and information disclosed during the sentencing hearing, between March 5, 2013 and March 4, 2015, Holt sexually touched a minor child under the age of twelve. The unlawful contact occurred directly and through the child’s clothing and while the child was participating in an after-school program. Holt had been a volunteer with the after-school program at the time of the offense.

“As a parent, I am chilled by Mr. Holt’s conduct,” stated United States Attorney Vanessa R. Waldref. “It is especially concerning that this offense occurred on a bus that provided transportation to young children for an after-school program. My office takes child exploitation seriously, whether online or in-person. Children deserve to live in a world that is free from those who would exploit them. My office will continue to prioritize those offenses against our community’s youngest and most vulnerable victims.”  

“All children deserve to be safe, especially in an educational environment and around adults they are taught to trust. Mr. Holt’s actions demonstrated the opposite and caused irreversible damage to the victims, their families, and the community,” said Richard A. Collodi, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Seattle field office. “Together with our partners, the FBI is committed to protecting Washington state’s youngest residents by holding child predators accountable for the harm they cause.”

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case was prosecuted by Michael Murphy, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.

1:22-CR-2060-SAB