Jerry Noel Diaz, Failing to Register as a Sex Offender, North Carolina 2022

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Fugitive Sex Offender Sentenced for Failing to Register in North Carolina

A Rhode Island man, Jerry Noel Diaz, 25, has been sentenced to 37 months in prison for failing to register as a sex offender in North Carolina.

The case began in 2014 when Diaz was convicted of felony First Degree Child Molestation after forcibly raping an 11-year-old victim in Rhode Island. As part of the child molestation conviction, Diaz received a lifetime registration requirement under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

In 2020, Diaz failed to register in Rhode Island, was arrested, released on bond, and instructed to report to probation. However, Diaz did not report to probation and instead chose to flee, eventually making his way to North Carolina.

On April 15, 2021, Diaz was apprehended while hiding in the closet of a residence in Fayetteville. After being arrested, Diaz admitted to having been in the Fayetteville area for more than 5 months and stated that he had been working with a youth group at a local church.

Jerry Noel Diaz pled guilty to the charge of Failing to Register as a Sex Offender on June 1, 2022. U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan handed down the 37-month prison sentence.

The U.S. Marshals Service, Eastern District of North Carolina, Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force, Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Marshals Service, District of Rhode Island, and the Rhode Island State Police investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Stephany prosecuted the case.

The case, 5:21-CR-00395-FL, can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for the case number.