WASHINGTON – A 42-year-old man, formerly of Washington, D.C., pled guilty today to one count of assault with intent to commit first-degree sexual abuse of his 13-year-old stepdaughter, U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips announced.
The man, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim, pled guilty in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The plea, which is contingent upon the Court’s approval, calls for a seven-year prison sentence. The Honorable Michael Ryan set a hearing for May 20, 2016 to determine whether the plea and sentence will be accepted.
According to the government’s evidence, sometime between May and October of 2015, the victim and her younger sibling would spend weekends at the defendant’s home in Northwest Washington On one occasion during that time-frame, the defendant told the victim to remove all of her clothes. At that time, he had a belt in his hand and threatened to beat the girl if she did not comply. Out of fear, she complied, whereupon the man sexually assaulted her. The man was arrested on Feb. 6, 2016, after the abuse came to light, and has been in custody ever since.
In announcing the plea, U.S. Attorney Phillips praised the work of detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth Investigations Division, which investigated the case; and of personnel from Safe Shores, who forensically interviewed the victim and her younger sibling. He acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist D’Yvonne Key; Child Forensic Interview Specialist Karen Giannakoulias, and Victim/Witness Advocate Tracey Hawkins. Finally, he commended Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica Brooks and Peter V. Taylor, who investigated and prosecuted this case.