Man sentenced for sexual contact with minor
Rogelia Vega Evans, 26, of Lexington, North Carolina was sentenced to 180 months in prison for engaging in sexual contact with a minor by force in Cherokee, announced Dena J. King, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina.
Upon his release from prison, Evans will be subject to a lifetime of supervised release and must register as a sex offender.
According to filed court documents and court proceedings, on or about June 18, 2022, Evans sexually abused a child under the age of 12. The minor victim is an enrolled member of the Eastern Band Cherokee Indians (EBCI), and the crime occurred within the Qualla Boundary of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.
On Dec. 18, 2023, Evans pleaded guilty to engaging in sexual contact with a minor under the age of 12 by force. Evans remains in federal custody and will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.