Washington State Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Absconding Supervision and Failing to Register as a Sex Offender

 EUGENE, Ore.—A Vancouver, Washington man was sentenced to federal prison today for failing to comply with sex offender supervision and registration requirements designed to protect the community from predatory acts, announced U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams.

Joseph Alonzo Lugo, 50, was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison and five years’ supervised release. As a condition of his post-prison supervision, Lugo will be required to undergo sex offender treatment and mental health counseling.

According to court documents, Lugo was required to register as a sex offender after pleading guilty in state court, in August 2017, to communicating with a minor for immoral purposes and, less than a year later, pleading guilty to second-degree child molestation. In the latter case, Lugo sexually abused a family member younger than five and served 11 months in prison. He was released in September of 2019 and stopped registering as a sex offender in December of 2019.

On December 31, 2019, Lugo absconded from Washington State supervision and took up residence in Eugene. Shortly thereafter, U.S. Marshals Service deputies began investigating Lugo’s whereabouts and, on April 14, 2020, located him at a house in Eugene. The deputies’ investigation revealed that Lugo had interacted with several children at the house while in non-registration status, though the investigation revealed no evidence of additional sexual offenses. Lugo was arrested on April 14, 2020.

On April 13, 2020, Lugo was charged by criminal complaint with failing to register as a sex offender. He pleaded guilty on October 15, 2020.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William M. McLaren and Certified Law Student Kara Greenaway.

The United States Marshals Service is the federal government’s primary law enforcement agency for sex offender and fugitive investigations. The United States Marshals Service has implemented an aggressive strategy across the nation, including complex sex offender investigations and multiagency enforcement operations. Protecting children in our communities is a critical part of the multiagency sex offender mission in Oregon.

The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) is Title I of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. The act provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States. SORNA strengthens the nationwide network for the protection of the community.