A Virginia man who sexually abused a 17-year-old student while teaching at a prestigious D.C. arts school has been ordered to spend 16 years behind federal bars.
Mark Williams, 59, received his sentence Friday in D.C. Superior Court, marking the end of a legal saga that saw the defendant flee the country in a failed attempt to escape prosecution.
The case dates back to the spring of 2014 at the Duke Ellington School for the Arts. According to evidence presented by the government, Williams leveraged his position as a teacher to initiate a sexual relationship with a student during a private independent study. These encounters took place in a locked, windowless basement room on the school’s campus.
“Mark Williams groomed and sexually abused an underage student. It took years for the victim to gain the courage to come forward and disclose the abuse she suffered. Williams even left the country, but justice ultimately caught up with him,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “My office will continue to aggressively prosecute those who exploit vulnerable individuals, especially children. This sentence is well deserved.”
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While the abuse occurred over a decade ago, Williams wasn’t arrested until November 2023. The legal proceedings took another turn earlier this year when Williams failed to appear for his scheduled trial on February 2, 2026.
He was subsequently taken into custody and found guilty on February 12 of four counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a secondary education student and four counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor.
Superior Court Judge Michael Ryan’s sentence includes 16 years in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release. Williams is also required to register as a sex offender for a decade.
The investigation was a joint effort between the Metropolitan Police Department and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Interim Chief Jeffery W. Carroll joined U.S. Attorney Pirro in thanking the detectives and legal staff—including Assistant U.S. Attorneys Callie Hyde and Sarah Roessler—who spent years piecing the case together to ensure the conviction.
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