New Bedford Man to Serve Up To A Decade in Prison for Repeated Rapes of Young Girl

Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced today that 38-year-old Nathaniel Rodrigues was sentenced to serve eight to ten years in state prison after being convicted Tuesday of several charges related to the sexual assault of an underage girl.

The defendant, who previously resided in New Bedford, pleaded guilty Monday afternoon in Fall River Superior Court to charges of rape of a child, rape of a child with force, indecent assault and battery of a person under 14, and threats.

The defendant raped the underage girl on several occasions between October, 2012 and June, 2013. The girl eventually reported the assaults six months after the final assault. Mr. Rodrigues was subsequently arrested by New Bedford Police and was indicted on the aforementioned charges in March, 2014.

In addition to the state prison sentence, Superior Court Judge E. Susan Garsh also ordered the defendant to be placed on supervised probation for seven years, to begin after his release from prison. The conditions of his probation include: no contact with the victim, movements monitored by a GPS bracelet, complete sex offender treatment, register as a sex offender and refrain from seeking employment that would put him in contact with minors.

The case was prosecuted by Second Assistant District Attorney Silvia Rudman.

“The defendant was convicted of repeatedly raping the victim, who was between 12 and 13 years old at the time. I commend the victim for coming forward and being prepared to testify in this most personal and difficult case,” District Attorney Quinn said. “He assistance was critical in obtaining a conviction in this case. I am happy that this defendant, who took advantage of his relationship with the victim’s mother, will be behind bars for a long time. I hope the victim feels vindicated and protected by this lengthy prison sentence.”

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