WALDORF, MD — A Charles County man who repeatedly raped and sexually abused an underage girl in his care has been sentenced to life in prison, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday.
Charles Clark, 67, of Waldorf, was sentenced in U.S. District Court after pleading guilty last fall to coercion and enticement of a minor. Judge Carl J. Nichols also ordered Clark to serve a lifetime of supervised release and register as a sex offender.
According to court documents, starting in June 2017, Clark repeatedly raped and sexually abused a girl under the age of 17. Despite being a “father figure” to the girl and helping to raise her from early childhood, prosecutors said Clark sexually abused her between 170 and 200 times over five years.
Authorities said the abuse occurred both at the victim’s residence and Clark’s home in Maryland.
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While the abuse was ongoing, prosecutors said Clark communicated with the girl through social media and ordered her to send him sexually explicit images of herself. According to court documents, the girl eventually told her mother about the abuse and the mother immediately reported it to police.
With the girl’s permission, court documents said police took over her Instagram account and messaged Clark, who openly acknowledged his relationship with the girl.
Clark was arrested on April 2, 2021, and has remained in police custody.
According to prosecutors, in March 2023, Clark also pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor/continuing conduct and sexual abuse of a minor, counts which stemmed from a related case.
In that case, Clark was sentenced in December 2023 to 45 years in prison.
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