FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
July 5, 2018
Contact: Heather F. Williamson
Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office
20 East Market Street
Leesburg, VA 20176-2809
(703) 777-0242
GYMNASTICS COACH FOUND GUILTY OF AGGRAVATED SEXUAL BATTERY
JURY FIXES SENTENCE AT SIX YEARS IN PRISON AND $11,000 FINE
LEESBURG, Virginia – June 29, 2018. A Loudoun County jury found Brian Dinh Nguyen, 44, of Sterling, guilty of aggravated sexual battery.
On the evening of December 2, 2017, the victim and her friend, both 11 years old, went to a local gymnastics facility for a free gym event to celebrate her friend’s birthday. Nguyen was a gymnastics coach at that facility. During the course of the evening, Nguyen targeted the victim and repeatedly touched her inappropriately. The victim confided in her friend who bravely took action to defend the victim from Nguyen, and the girls promptly told their parents on the way home from the gym.
During the course of the three day trial, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Meredith M. Burke told the jury that “the defendant was there to ensure the safety of all of the children, to be a protector. Instead, he became a predator, and when the victim turned to her 11-year-old friend for help, her friend did something that no child should ever have to do and stepped into the role of the protector.” The jury deliberated for nearly seven hours before finding Nguyen guilty.
During the sentencing phase of the trial, Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Joshua P. Steward introduced evidence of the defendant’s prior conviction for assault & battery and told the jury that “the defendant picked a child whom he thought was weak and who wouldn’t say anything. Fortunately for all of us, he chose poorly. The victim, while quiet and reserved, was courageous enough to recognize what he was doing and turn to her friend for help, and together they have helped us bring a child predator to justice.” The jury deliberated for another two hours and fixed Nguyen’s sentence at six years in prison and a fine of $11,000.
Nguyen’s formal sentencing is scheduled for September 11, 2018, at 9:00 a.m. before Judge J. Howe Brown Jr. who presided over the jury trial.
Pursuant to Virginia’s Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry Act, Nguyen will also be required to register as a violent sex offender for the rest of his life. Information about the Virginia’s Sex Offender and Crimes Against Minors Registry and those on it can be found on the Virginia State Police website: http://sex-offender.vsp.virginia.gov.
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