Man sentenced to more than 10 years in prison for sexually abusing a 15-year-old relative in 2015

WASHINGTON (7News) — A man was sentenced to 10 and a half years in prison for sexually abusing his 15-year-old relative in 2015, a Supreme Court judge ruled Thursday.

Government evidence revealed that 61-year-old Gary Bellinger sexually abused a girl he was related to in 2015. At the time of the abuse, the girl was 15 years old, officials said. According to the government, the girl told her family about the abuse years later in 2020.

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After serving his time in prison, Bellinger was also sentenced to three years of supervised release and must register as a sex offender for the rest of his life, officials said.

Superior Court Judge Maribeth Raffinan said Bellinger was found guilty of first-degree child molestation and second-degree child molestation in May after a four-day trial in D.C