(Yakima, WA), United States Attorney Vanessa Waldref announced that on January 24, 2025, United States District Judge Mary K. Dimke sentenced Geordell Devon Arthur, age 23, of Wapato, Washington, to 12 months in federal prison on one count of unlawful sexual contact. Judge Dimke also imposed 5 years of supervised release. Arthur will be required to register as a sex offender. At sentencing, Arthur faced a maximum sentence of two years imprisonment, and he was sentenced within the applicable sentencing guidelines range for his offense.
According to court documents and information presented at the sentencing hearing, Arthur, who was 19 at the time, made unlawful sexual contact with a 13-year-old girl at a location on the Yakama Nation Indian Reservation on or around May 10, 2021. The victim explained to investigators that Arthur’s friends confronted the victim and threatened her with harm if she spoke to law enforcement.
“The harm to victims in cases like these cannot be understated,” said U.S. Attorney Waldref. “It takes courage for victims to come forward, especially when an abuser attempts to silence them. My office is committed to prioritizing offenses against our community’s youngest and most vulnerable victims.”
“Mr. Arthur assaulted and then tried to intimidate his victim into silence.” said W. Mike Herrington, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Seattle field office. “However, she displayed courage instead of fear and now her attacker is headed to prison. I applaud her actions as well as those of the investigators who seek justice for victims of these appalling crimes.”
The FBI and the Yakama Nation Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Michael Murphy prosecuted the case.
