Judge Imposes Sentence in Child Sex Abuse Case

By Holden Rafey [former] - September 1, 2021
Court | Daily Stories | Juveniles | Probation | Sex Abuse | Victims |

A DC Superior Court judge imposed a sentence in a child sex abuse case. 

Ronald Gonzalez was initially charged with first-degree child sex abuse for abusing an 11-year-old. The 20-year-old defendant pleaded down to second-degree child sex abuse last March. 

On Aug. 26, Judge Neal Kravitz decided to sentence Gonzalez to 36 months, with all but 22 months suspended. This sentence would have left the defendant with approximately four months left to serve, since he has been held at DC Jail since December 2019 and would be receiving credit for time served. However, later in the hearing, Judge Kravitz agreed to hold the sentence in abeyance after defense attorney Joseph Wong raised concerns over whether or not his client would be transferred into the custody of the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to serve out the remainder of his sentence, which he argued could complicate his eventual transition back into the community.

After the Aug. 26 hearing, Wong was able to confirm that Gonzalez would not be transferred to BOP custody.

During the Aug. 31 hearing, Judge Kravitz imposed the sentence he had decided to hand down on Aug. 26.

Gonzalez will also spend three years on supervised probation. He must also register as a sex offender for the next 10 years, stay away from the victim and her family, participate in psychological counseling, complete 100 hours of community service and receive a sex offender evaluation and treatment.

Gonzales is also being sentenced under the Youth Rehabilitation Act (YRA) which means his case will effectively be sealed if he completes all of his requirements.