WASHINGTON — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)), published as received.
WASHINGTON – Marcus Douglas, 53, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for the coercion and enticement of a minor. Douglas pleaded guilty to the charge on August 31, 2022.
In July of 2021, Douglas approached a 14-year-old girl he saw walking on a sidewalk in downtown Washington, D.C. He placed a note on her cell phone suggesting that he wanted to pay her to engage in sexual activity with him. The note contained his first name, Marcus, and his cell phone number. The victim immediately went to a nearby firehouse and reported the incident. Police officers with the Metropolitan Police Department responded, interviewed the victim, and quickly traced the phone number to Douglas. An undercover officer then initiated a text conversation with Douglas, pretending to be the 14-year-old girl. During messaging with the individual he believed was a minor, Douglas asked for pictures of the victim, told her about his sexual fantasies, and asked for an opportunity to meet the minor victim in person. A location for this meeting was discussed during this text conversation. When Douglas arrived at the agreed upon meeting location, he was arrested.
In addition to the prison term, the Honorable Judge Florence Y. Pan ordered 10 years of supervised release and ordered Douglas to register as a sex offender for 25 years. She also ordered Douglas to pay the minor victim $36,956 in restitution.
In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, and Metropolitan Police Chief Robert J. Contee, III commended the work of the detectives and patrol officers of the Metropolitan Police Department’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. They also expressed appreciation to those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Yvonne Bryant, the Victim/Witness Specialist assigned to this matter, and paralegal Alexis Spencer-Anderson. Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Larson, who investigated and prosecuted the case.
If you have information that a child is being physically or sexually abused or neglected, you can help by reporting the abuse to the Child and Family Service Agency for the District of Columbia (CFSA). CFSA takes reports of child abuse and neglect 24 hours a day, seven days a week at (202) 671-SAFE or (202) 671-7233.
This case was brought as part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative and investigated by the FBI's Child Exploitation Task Force, which includes members of the FBI's Washington Field Office and MPD. In February 2006, the Attorney General created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorney's Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
