Sergio Velasquez Cardozo, Sex Assault, Washington DC 2017

A college student was brutally assaulted in Northwest Washington Street, leaving her shaken and traumatized.

A jury has found Sergio Velasquez Cardozo, 35, formerly of Falls Church, Va., guilty of kidnapping, third-degree sexual abuse, fourth-degree sexual abuse and misdemeanor sexual abuse in connection with the September 2016 attack.

According to court documents, on September 17, 2016, at approximately 1 a.m., the victim was walking home to her apartment on the Georgetown University campus when Velasquez Cardozo snuck up behind her, grabbed her in a bear hug and fondled her breast and buttocks.

Officer from the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) happened to be driving slowly right behind Velasquez Cardozo when he attacked the woman. They immediately stopped and arrested him.

Velasquez Cardozo will be sentenced on June 9, 2017, by the Honorable Lynn Leibovitz and faces a likely range of three to seven years in prison under the District of Columbia’s voluntary sentencing guidelines. He will also be required to register as a sex offender for a 10-year period following his release from prison.

U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips praised the work of officers from MPD’s Second District and from MPD’s Sexual Assault Unit. He also expressed appreciation for the work of the Georgetown University Police Department, which arrived on the scene shortly after Velasquez Cardozo was apprehended, and assisted both the victim and the MPD officers.

In a statement, Phillips acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Brenda C. Williams, former Paralegal Specialist Joyce Arthur, Victim/Witness Advocate Veronica Vaughan, and Litigation Technology Specialists Aneela Bhatia and Anisha Bhatia. He also commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kathleen “Katie” Kern and Peter V. Taylor, who investigated and prosecuted this case.

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