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Ex-DC teacher gets 16 years in student abuse case

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Updated  April 17, 2026 4:00pm EDT
D.C. Crime
FOX 5 DC

The Brief

    • Former teacher Mark Anthony Williams, 56, was sentenced to 16 years in prison for sexually abusing a 17-year-old student.
    • The abuse occurred in 2014 while he was teaching at Duke Ellington School of the Arts; the victim reported it in 2018.
    • Williams fled the country but was arrested in 2023 at BWI Airport and brought to justice.

WASHINGTON - A former teacher convicted on six counts of sexually abusing a student was sentenced Friday to 16 years in prison, according to court documents. 

What we know:

56-year-old former teacher Mark Anthony Williams, of Fairfax, Va  was sentenced Friday to 192 months, or 16 years, for six counts of sexual abuse. 

Between Jan. 1, 2014 and May 31, 2014, when the victim was 17 years old, Williams engaged in multiple sex acts with the victim, who was one of his students. 

Williams was a teacher at Duke Ellington School of the Arts and left in 2019. 

The victim reported the abuse on Oct. 16, 2018, but when police began to investigate, they learned that Williams had moved out of the country. 

In November 2023, MPD received an alert that Williams was back in the country. CBP agents took Williams into custody at BWI as he attempted to board a flight to Iceland. 

What they're saying:

"Mark Williams groomed and sexually abused an underage student. It took years for the victim to gain the courage to come forward and disclose the abuse she suffered. Williams even left the country, but justice ultimately caught up with him," said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro. "My office will continue to aggressively prosecute those who exploit vulnerable individuals, especially children. This sentence is well deserved."

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