United States Attorney’s Office

Eastern District of Washington

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FEDERAL INDICTMENT ISSUED CHARGING SPOKANE MAN WITH SETTING FIRE AT ST. CHARLES PARRISH AND SCHOOL

Spokane – Today, Joseph H. Harrington, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that a federal grand jury in Spokane returned an Indictment charging Rio A. Mirabal, 23, of Spokane, Washington with arson of the St. Charles Parrish and School in Spokane, Washington. 

The Indictment alleges that, on March 18, 2021, Mirabal maliciously damaged, by means of fire, the building and real property known as the St. Charles Parrish and School, located at 4515 North Alberta Street, Spokane, Washington. The alleged crime is a federal offense in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 844(i).  If proven, the offense is punishable by a minimum 5-year, but not more than a 20-year, term of imprisonment; a $250,000 fine; and a 3-year term of court supervision following release from federal imprisonment.

This case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives with the assistance of the Spokane Police Department.  This case is being prosecuted by Russell E. Smoot, Criminal Chief / Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington.

An indictment is merely an allegation and every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

21-CR-57-RMP

CHILD PORNOGRAPHER SENTENCED TO 23 YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR PRODUCTION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY AND SEXUAL ABUSE OF A MINOR

Plummer, Idaho Man Sentenced in Federal Court

Spokane – Joseph H. Harrington, Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, announced that Carlos Manuel Marquez-Pierce, age 23, of Plummer, Idaho and an enrolled member of the Coeur d’Alene Indian Tribe, was sentenced today after having pleaded guilty in two cases, first on January 25, 2021, to production of child pornography, and second on February 25, 2021, to sexual abuse of a minor.  United States District Judge Wm. Fremming Nielsen sentenced Marquez-Pierce to a 23-year term of imprisonment, to be followed by a life term of court supervision after he is released from federal prison.

According to information disclosed during court proceedings, Marquez-Pierce committed sexual offenses against three minor victims, ages 11 and 12, over nearly two years.  Marquez-Pierce recorded sexually explicit conduct with one of his victims and distributed some of the produced images to others.  One of Marquez-Pierce’s victims was an enrolled member of the Coeur d’ Alene Indian Tribe.  

Acting United States Attorney Harrington said, “With the sentence imposed today, a dangerous child predator has been removed from the community.  The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Washington is committed to prosecuting anyone who may sexually exploit our most vulnerable population, children.  I commend the hard work of our federal, state, local and Tribal law enforcement partners who investigated this case.”

This case was pursued as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the United States Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorneys' Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. The Project Safe Childhood Initiative (“PSC”) has five major components:

· Integrated federal, state, and local efforts to investigate and prosecute child exploitation cases, and to identify and rescue children;

· Participation of PSC partners in coordinated national initiatives;

· Increased federal enforcement in child pornography and enticement cases;

· Training of federal, state, and local law enforcement agents; and

· Community awareness and educational programs.

For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.

For information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc

and click on the tab "resources."

This case was investigated by the Spokane and Coeur d’Alene Resident Offices of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Coeur d’Alene and Spokane Tribal Police Departments, and the Spokane Police Department, with assistance from the Coeur d’Alene Tribe’s Social Services.  This case was prosecuted by Ann Wick, an Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington, in cooperation with the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Idaho and the Spokane County Prosecutor’s Office.

CR19-1080-WFN

CR21-016-WFN