Taholah, Washington, man pleads guilty to sex offense against a minor

Tacoma – A 21-year-old Taholah, Washington, man pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma to abusive sexual contact in connection with the sexual assault of a teenager on the Quinault Nation reservation, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Tessa M. Gorman. Jerimiah McCrory was arrested in July 2021, after a teen victim reported McCrory raped her after attending a gathering on the Quinault reservation.  The investigation by Quinault Nation Police and the FBI revealed that other teens also had been sexually assaulted.

According to the plea agreement, the sexual assault of one teenager occurred on April 12, 2021, when McCrory and the victim were visiting a home on the Quinault Nation reservation. McCrory admits that he sexually assaulted the teen and pleaded guilty to abusive sexual contact in connection with that assault.  As part of the plea agreement, McCrory admits two other sexual assaults against teenage victims in 2019.  Those facts can be considered by the judge at sentencing as relevant conduct.

Under the terms of the plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend a sentence no higher than the top of the guidelines range. McCrory is scheduled for sentencing on January 26, 2024.

U.S. District Judge Ricardo S. Martinez is not bound by the recommendation and can impose any sentence allowed by law.  Abusive sexual contact is punishable by up to ten years in prison.

The case was investigated by the Quinault Nation Police and the FBI.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys J. Tate London and Rebecca S. Cohen.  Mr. London serves as a Tribal Liaison for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington.