Multiple Sexual Assault Charges Filed Against Ex-U.S. Official

ARLINGTON, VA — A former U.S. Department of Commerce official is scheduled to appear in Arlington General District Court on Aug. 18 to face multiple sexual assault charges involving a subordinate, according to court records.

Jessica Guadalupe Cavazos was arraigned in May on felony charges of object sexual penetration by force, aggravated sexual battery of an incapacitated person, and strangulation, as well as two counts of forced sodomy, according to court records.

In early 2023, the Biden-Harris Administration appointed Cavazos as the first deputy under-secretary of commerce for minority business. She held that position for eight months, until she resigned on Dec. 15, 2023.

The charges stem from an incident that occurred in Nov. 28, 2023, when the female victim, a subordinate of Cavazos' who traveled to Washington, D.C., for a work conference, organized a gathering for Cavazos and their colleagues, according to ARLNow. The victim ordered multiple rounds of alcoholic beverages for the group during the gathering.

Later in the evening, the victim, who was staying overnight at Cavazos’ apartment before returning home in the morning, returned to the apartment with Cavazos, which is when the alleged unwanted sexual acts occurred, according to ARLNow’s reporting.

Forcible sodomy and forced inanimate object penetration are felonies that each carry a potential sentence of life in prison or a term not less than five years, under the Code of Virginia.

On the sodomy charges, the mandatory punishment is life in prison, if the defendant is three years older than the victim. Under the same conditions, the mandatory sentence is 25 years on the object penetration charge, according to Virginia law.

If convicted on the felony aggravated sexual battery charge, Cavazos faces a potential prison sentence of five to 20 years and a fine of up to $100,000, under the state code.

The strangulation charge, which is a Class 6 felony, is punishable by one to five years in prison, or at the court's discretion, up to 12 months in jail and a fine of up to $2,500.

Read ARLNow’s full story.