Roanoke Man Pleads Guilty to Failing to Register as a Sex Offender

ROANOKE, VIRGINIA – A Roanoke, Virginia man, who failed to maintain his registration requirement under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act [SORNA], pled guilty today in the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia to related federal charges, United States Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. announced.

Gerald Dickey, 40, of Roanoke, Va., pled guilty today to one count of failing to register as a previously convicted sex offender.

“Keeping and maintaining an accurate registration, as required by SORNA, is imperative to public safety,” United States Attorney John P. Fishwick Jr. said today. “The requirements set forth in SORNA are not done as a burden to offenders but as a protection for the community, the offender and law enforcement. When those requirements are not met, there will be consequences.”

According to evidence presented at today’s hearing by Assistant United States Attorney, due to a previous convicted of criminal sexual conduct, Dickey was required to register as a sex offender under SORNA. In April 2015, Dickey was arrested by the Roanoke City Police Department on state charges and it was determined that despite the fact he had lived in Virginia for over a year, he had not registered as a sex offender, as required under SORNA.

The investigation of the case was conducted by the United States Marshals Service, the Virginia State Police and the Roanoke City Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorney Charlene R. Day prosecuted the case for the United States.