A U.S. court sentenced Fode Sitafa Mara, an American citizen and former employee of the U.S. Embassy in Ouagadougou, to life in prison on Thursday for the repeated sexual assault of two Burkinabè minors, according to a statement released Friday by the Department of Justice’s Office of Public Affairs.
The sentence was handed down on February 26, 2026, in a Maryland federal court. Mara, 41, was convicted on four counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor, attempted coercion and enticement, and attempted obstruction of justice.
The crimes occurred between 2022 and 2023 in Ouagadougou. According to the indictment, Mara leveraged his position and his official residence—a location under U.S. jurisdiction—to abuse two teenage girls aged 13 and 15.
The investigation uncovered some particularly cynical modus operandi: the defendant exploited the extreme poverty of the victims, who lived near his residence without running water. He reportedly used their mother’s grave illness as leverage, demanding sexual favours in exchange for financial assistance.
“While representing the United States government abroad, the defendant violently and sexually assaulted two extremely vulnerable children,” stated Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department.
The case involved several U.S. agencies, including the Diplomatic Security Service (DSS), USAID, and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). Burkinabè authorities also provided “invaluable assistance” in establishing the facts of the proceeding.
In addition to physical assaults, Mara was incriminated by sexually explicit messages sent via mobile phones he provided to the victims to bypass his wife’s surveillance. He also attempted to bribe his domestic staff to conceal his criminal activities.
For Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, the verdict sends a clear signal: “Those who prey on our children will pay a heavy price, regardless of where the crimes are committed.”
This conviction falls under “Project Safe Childhood,” a Department of Justice initiative aimed at tracking and prosecuting sexual predators operating under the cover of official missions abroad.
HO/ac/lb/as/APA