MARQUETTE, MI—U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Miles, Jr., announced today that Lynn Michael LaVictor, 44, of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge R. Allan Edgar to 355 months’ imprisonment for sexually assaulting his then-girlfriend in Sault Ste. Marie, attempting to tamper with a witness and contempt of court. The sentences will run concurrently. Judge Edgar also ordered LaVictor to have no contact with the victim in the case. Judge Edgar commented during the sentencing that there was a “manifest need to provide protection for the public and those who have been abused by [the defendant] in the past.”

The assault took place last July. The victim’s injuries from the assault required her to be transported by ambulance to the hospital, where she underwent surgery later in the day. Nevertheless, LaVictor repeatedly contacted the victim and attempted to influence her testimony, even after his arrest and the placement of a no-contact order. A federal jury convicted LaVictor in December, following a four day trial.

“Fighting the victimization of women in Indian country is a main priority in the Western District of Michigan,” stated U.S. Attorney Patrick A. Miles, Jr., “and those who engage in this behavior will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

The Sault Ste. Marie Tribal Police and the FBI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeff J. Davis and Hannah N. Bobee prosecuted the case.