Darran Joyner, a 33-year-old resident of Washington, D.C., has been sentenced to 32 years in prison for sexually abusing a 12-year-old girl on multiple occasions. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Joyner was found guilty by a Superior Court jury on July 8, 2025, of seven felony charges, including several counts of first- and second-degree child sexual abuse. In addition to his prison sentence, Judge Todd Edelman ordered that Joyner serve ten years of supervision following his release and register as a sex offender.
According to evidence presented at trial, the abuse occurred during Memorial Day weekend in May 2023 when the victim stayed with Joyner and his girlfriend. On the morning of May 28, Joyner’s girlfriend observed his hand inside the victim’s pants. Later that day, Joyner sent text messages to the victim asking her to lie about what happened and inquiring if she wanted him to touch her. After sending these messages, he raped her. The following day, the victim reported the abuse to her mother. DNA evidence collected from the victim confirmed Joyner’s involvement. The victim also testified that this was not an isolated incident and described prior assaults at Joyner’s residence in Washington, D.C.
Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department joined U.S. Attorney Pirro in announcing the sentence. Both officials recognized the contributions of Metropolitan Police Department investigators and staff from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia—including Victim Advocates Maria Sanchez-Garcia and Johnny Da Silva; Paralegals Nancy Murillo and Veronica Yale; as well as Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Folse and Richard Kelley—who worked on investigating and prosecuting this case.
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