A former D.C. resident was found guilty of several charges of sexual abuse of his niece, who was 11 years old when the abuse began.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. said in a statement Thursday that the 49-year-old man, who has not been identified to protect the identity of the victim, began to abuse his niece in 2016.
According to the government’s evidence presented during the trial, the girl lived with her mother in Florida for most of the year, but visited her father in D.C. every summer. During these visits, she would spend time with her uncle and his family.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that the victim did not tell her family about the initial abuses out of fear of not being believed, and the damage it could cause her family.
In 2017, after another assault, the victim reported the abuse to her aunt, the wife of her abuser. She then also told her father. The D.C. police were called and her uncle was arrested.
He will be held without bond until he is sentenced on May 31.
