Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
District of Columbia

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, January 31, 2020

WASHINGTON – Rakim Davis, 30, of Washington, D.C. was sentenced today by Judge Ronna L. Beck of the Superior Court of the District of the Columbia to 25 years in prison for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old girl who was walking to a D.C. metro station, U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.

            Davis pled guilty in November 2019 to first-degree sexual abuse of a child. Upon completion of his prison term, Davis will be placed on lifetime supervised release. He will also be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

            According to the government’s evidence, on October 12, 2019, the 12-year-old victim was walking to the Congress Heights Metro Station in Washington, D.C. As she entered the 1300 block of Alabama Ave. SE, Davis approached her and asked if he could take her to a traphouse for a massage. When the victim said no, the defendant grabbed her by the arm and told her not to make a scene and that he didn’t want to hurt her. Davis took the victim across the street to an old elementary school that had been converted to a community recreation center. In an isolated corner of the breezeway, he sexually assaulted her. The victim immediately reported the assault to her family members, who brought her to the hospital, at which point the Metropolitan Police Department was notified.

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Liu commended the work of the Metropolitan Police Department, including the Youth Division, which investigated the case. She also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist T.J. McPhail and Victim/Witness Advocate Juanita Harris. Finally, she expressed appreciation for the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Burrell, who investigated and prosecuted the case.