YAKIMA, Wash. — A Mabton man has been sentenced to 21 years in prison for abusive sexual contact of a minor.
Joseph Leonard Roy, 58, pleaded guilty to two counts of abusive contact in Nov. 2022. After his time in prison he must then serve 20 years of federal supervision after his release.
Roy sexually molested two minors on the Yakama Reservation in 2017 – 2018, according to court documents.
The abuse reportedly happened while Roy was dating a relative of the victims and it continued until one of the victims told a family member who reported it to authorities.
The case against Roy was brought as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
“Mr. Roy was held accountable today due to the joint efforts of the Yakama Nation Tribal Police Department, the FBI, the United States Attorney’s Office, and the community,” said U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, Vanessa Waldref. “By working together, we can continue to build trust and keep our communities safe and strong.”
Project Safe Childhood coordinates federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
