Kelvin Powell, a former employee of the D.C. Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS), was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexually abusing a 17-year-old minor under his care. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Powell, 63, from Temple Hills, Maryland, was found guilty on July 1, 2025, by a Superior Court jury on multiple counts including first- and second-degree sexual abuse of both a ward and a minor. In addition to the prison term, Judge Rainey Brandt ordered Powell to serve 10 years of supervised release after his sentence and required him to register as a sex offender.
“The court’s sentencing demonstrates that no one is above the law and that justice will prevail,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “The collaborative efforts of my Office, FBI and MPD is a reminder that criminal actions, especially from a child sexual predator, will be met with serious consequences, especially on behalf of our most vulnerable victims.”
“Powell is a sexual predator who repeatedly abused a 17-year-old,” said Reid Davis, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Criminal Division. “As his sentencing demonstrates, the FBI and our law enforcement partners will pursue public servants who use their positions to prey on individuals in their care and custody.”
According to evidence presented at trial, Powell worked as a Youth Development Representative at DYRS’s Youth Services Center (YSC), which supervises young people detained while pending charges for delinquent acts. Between December 2021 and February 2022, Powell used his position to isolate and sexually abuse the minor in areas not covered by surveillance cameras at YSC. One incident was captured on camera showing Powell groping the minor over her clothing.
The investigation involved cooperation between the FBI’s Washington Field Office, Metropolitan Police Department (MPD), and U.S. Marshals Service. Former Assistant United States Attorneys Risa Berkower and Cara Gardner provided critical assistance during the case. Assistant United States Attorneys Tim Visser, Jessica Wash, and Niki Holmes prosecuted the case.
