Ouagadougou: American Fode Sitafa Mara, 39, faces between a minimum sentence of 30 years and life in prison, because his country’s justice system suspects him of having sexually abused for a year, of two Burkinabè girls aged 13 and 15, the AIB learned.
The courts of the State of Maryland in the United States of America, formally charged Fode Sitafa Mara on Friday June 14, 2024, with sexual abuse committed between 2022 and 2023 on two Burkinabe girls aged 13 and 15.
The information was reported by the APA agency citing the Washington Post.
According to the same sources, Mr. Mara, whose wife is a diplomat, worked at USAID and at the Embassy of the United States of America in Burkina Faso.
The girls had good relationships with the family who occupied the villa and which was later assigned to the Mara couple upon their arrival in August 2022 in Burkina Faso.
Fode Sitafa Mara allegedly began sexually abusing girls from November 2022 until November 2023, in the residence, during his wife’s absences.
It was th
e housekeeper and one of the security agents who drew the attention of the American authorities to the suspect’s actions.
The girls would later tell investigators that Fode Sitafa Mara began frequently abusing them from the second time they met.
For justice, Mr. Mara repeatedly raped two children for over a year and tried to bribe the housekeeper to lie on his behalf.
According to court filings, Mr. Mara gave the girls money and gifts and sent them sexually explicit messages on phones he bought for them.
Five counts, including aggravated sexual abuse of a minor, coercion and obstruction of justice, weigh on the alleged rapist.
Due to the risk of flight, Mr. Mara was placed in pre-trial detention.
If convicted, he faces a minimum sentence of 30 years in prison and life in prison.
Source: Burkina Information Agency