District Man Sentenced to Five Years in Prison
For Armed Sexual Assault in Northwest Washington

     WASHINGTON - Daniel A. Hernandez, 24, of Mount Ranier, Maryland, has been sentenced to five years in prison for sexually assaulting a woman while armed with a gun, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. announced today.

     Hernandez pled guilty in October 2011 in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to a charge of attempted first-degree sexual abuse while armed. The Honorable William M. Jackson sentenced him on January 13, 2012 to five years of incarceration, to be followed by five years of supervised release, with lifetime registration as a sexual offender.

     At the plea hearing, Hernandez admitted that on September 3, 2011, at approximately 12:15 a.m., at the intersection of Oak Street and Holmead Place NW, he pointed a black and silver gun at the victim and told her to get in his car. Hernandez drove the victim, whom he did not know, to a nearby alley where he forced her to submit to sexual intercourse. Hernandez pushed the victim out of his car before driving away. Hernandez was later apprehended and identified, and a black and silver BB gun was recovered from his car.

     In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Machen expressed his appreciation to the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), especially Detective Yvette Maupin. He also commended the work of Legal Assistant Nicole Lee, Paralegal Joyce Arthur, and Victim Advocate Veronica Vaughan. Lastly, he commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Cassidy Kesler Pinegar who investigated and prosecuted the case.

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