Former D.C. Teacher Sentenced to Prison Term for Sexually Abusing Student

            WASHINGTON – Alan Wade Coleman, 47, of Gainesville, Florida, was sentenced today to three years in prison for sexually abusing one of his students during the 2004-2005 academic year, when Coleman was a teacher at the KIPP D.C. Key Academy middle school in Southeast Washington, announced U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu.

            Coleman pled guilty in October 2017, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, to a charge of first-degree child sexual abuse. The plea was part of a larger plea agreement in which he already pled guilty in Montgomery County, Md., where Coleman then lived and where most of the sexual activity with the student occurred.  The plea agreement in the District of Columbia called for an agreed-upon three-year prison term to run concurrently with the sentence to be imposed in Montgomery County. Coleman is to be sentenced there on Feb. 9, 2018; under sentencing guidelines there, he faces a possible four to seven years in prison.

            The Honorable Hiram E. Puig-Lugo accepted the plea and sentenced the defendant accordingly. Once released from prison, Coleman will be required to register as a sex offender for 10 years as a result of his plea in the District of Columbia, and for life as a result of his plea in Montgomery County.  He will also be on supervised release for five years as part of his sentence in the District of Columbia.

            According to the government’s evidence, during the 2004-2005 academic year, Coleman engaged in sexual acts with the female student, most of which occurred at his apartment in Takoma Park, Md.; at the time she was 14 and 15 years old.  On those occasions, Coleman would drive the girl to Maryland from a location either at, or near, the KIPP School.  However, on several occasions during that academic year, Coleman drove her to a location in the District, where he parked and engaged in sexual acts with her in his vehicle.  Coleman remained in a relationship with the girl until she was 19.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu praised the work of officers from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Youth Investigation Division.  She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Brenda C. Williams and Victim/Witness Advocate Juanita Harris.  Finally, U.S. Attorney Liu commended Assistant U.S. Attorney Peter V. Taylor, who investigated and prosecuted this case.