Yamil Diaz, Sex Offender Registration Violation, Connecticut 2020

A 48-year-old Alabama man has been sentenced to 24 months in prison for violating the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. Yamil Diaz, 48, formerly of Alabama, was sentenced to 24 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for failing to register as a sex offender.

The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, which was passed by Congress in 2006 as part of the Adam Walsh Act, provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States. It seeks to strengthen the nationwide network of sex offender registration and notification programs.

In part, the act requires registered sex offenders to register and keep their registration current in each jurisdiction in which they reside, work, or go to school. Diaz failed to register as a sex offender with the Connecticut Sex Offender Registry, as required under SORNA.

In May 2019, Diaz was convicted in Alabama of attempted sexual abuse of a child less than 12 years of age. He received a sentence of 120 months of incarceration, suspended after seven months, and two years of supervised probation. In July 2019, Diaz registered as a sex offender with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Sex Offender Registration Unit.

Diaz traveled from Alabama to Connecticut in August 2019 and resided and worked as a mechanic in Waterbury. From at least November 2019 to February 24, 2020, he failed to register as a sex offender, as required under SORNA. A court in Coffee County issued an arrest warrant for Diaz for violating his probation in September 2019.

The U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force located Diaz in Waterbury and arrested him on February 24, 2020, on the outstanding Alabama warrant. He has been detained since his arrest. On September 4, 2020, Diaz pleaded guilty to failing to register as a sex offender. This matter was investigated by the United States Marshal Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Hal Chen prosecuted the case.

The case is a reminder of the importance of complying with the federal Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. Registered sex offenders must register and keep their registration current in each jurisdiction in which they reside, work, or go to school.

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