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Providence man sentenced to serve 12 years in state prison for 1st degree sexual assault

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced that a Providence man was sentenced in Providence County Superior Court to serve 12 years at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) for his role in the multi-defendant sexual assault of an incapacitated 16-year-old female victim in 2019.

Carlos Chacon (age 20) pleaded nolo contendere to one count of first-degree sexual assault, one count of conspiracy to commit sexual assault, and one count of possession of child pornography.

At a hearing today, before Superior Court Justice Maureen B. Keough, the court sentenced Chacon to 20 years at the ACI with 12 years to serve and the balance of the sentence suspended with probation. Chacon was ordered by the court to register as a sex offender, complete sex offender counseling, and is subject to community supervision. The court also issued a no contact order between Chacon and his victim.

In November 2020, Chacon and seven co-defendants were indicted by a grand jury on felony counts stemming from their role in the sexual assault of the minor victim.

"The defendant here violated that most basic principle – that every person, at all times, under all circumstances, is entitled to be free from an assault against their person. The defendant took advantage of the young victim's helpless condition. He demonstrated utter disregard for her. This lengthy prison sentence is more than warranted - it is justice," said Attorney General Neronha.

Had the case proceeded to trial, the State was prepared to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that between December 19 and December 20, 2019, Chacon sexually assaulted an incapacitated 16-year-old female victim at a residence on Wesleyan Avenue in Providence.

Chacon was part of a group that sexually assaulted the victim and recorded portions of the assault on a cellphone.

Investigators identified Chacon and his co-defendants from the cellphone videos. Additionally, the Rhode Island Department of Health confirmed that Chacon's DNA was recovered from the victim.

The criminal cases against Chacon's seven co-defendants are currently pending in Providence County Superior Court.

Assistant Attorneys General Joseph McBurney and Meghan McDonough of the Office of the Attorney General and Detectives Jared Sherman and Koren Garcia of the Providence Police Department led the investigation and prosecution of the case.

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