Galax Man Sentenced to 120 Months in Prison

ABINGDON, VIRGINIA – Yesterday in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia in Abingdon, a Galax, Va., man was sentenced to 120 months in Federal Prison for knowingly failing to update his sex offender registration.

Juan Elias Lara, 43, of Galax, Va., previously pled guilty to one count of failing to register and update his registration as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).  Lara had been required to register under SORNA by virtue of his 2009 felony conviction in Grayson County, Virginia Circuit Court for aggravated sexual battery.  In District Court yesterday, Lara was sentenced to 120 months of federal incarceration and five years of supervised release thereafter.  Lara will also be required to register as a sex offender following his release from imprisonment.

In sentencing Lara to the maximum term of imprisonment provided under the statute, United States District Judge James P. Jones noted Lara had previously admitted to killing two people and having sexual relations with several minors.  

The investigation of the case was conducted by the United States Marshals Service, the Virginia State Police, and the Lake Jackson, Texas Police Department.  Special Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Jayne prosecuted the case for the United States.