District Man Sentenced to More Than 16 Years in Prison For Sexually Assaulting Stepdaughter

            WASHINGTON – A 39-year-old man, from Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 16 years and eight months in prison on a charge stemming from years of sexual abuse against his stepdaughter, beginning when she was only 10 years old, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.  

            The defendant, who is not identified here to protect the privacy of the victim, pled guilty on Aug. 29, 2018, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to first-degree child sexual abuse with aggravating circumstances.  He was sentenced by the Honorable Milton C. Lee.  Following his prison term, the man will be placed on lifetime supervised release. He also will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life. The man, a Honduran national, also will be subject to removal proceedings.

            According to the government’s evidence, the man sexually abused his stepdaughter beginning when she was 10 years old. The sexual abuse took place from 2010 until 2018. It was constant, occurring several times a week throughout the victim’s teenage years. It led to two pregnancies when the victim was 12 and 13 years old. The defendant told the victim that if she reported the abuse, the victim’s mother would side with him, and would kick the victim out of the house. She believed him, and so she kept silent for years. During that time, the defendant manipulated the victim into complying with his sexual demands through threats, bribes, and misleading promises that he loved her and would take care of her. The sexual abuse only came to light when a member of the victim’s family witnessed one of the sexual acts after the victim turned 18. The man was arrested on April 4, 2018, and has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu praised the work of officers from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth Investigation Division. In addition, she commended the work of the Special Agents of the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force, who assisted in the investigation. She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Victim/Witness Advocate Juanita Harris and Criminal Investigator John Marsh. Finally, she commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Loeb, Jodi Lazarus, and Marisa West, who investigated and prosecuted this case.