A Fode Sitafa Mara has been sentenced to life in prison after being convicted of sexually abusing two teenage girls while working at the United States Embassy in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso.
The US Department of Justice said the 41-year-old from Maryland received the sentence on Wednesday following a two-week trial in October 2025 in the federal District Court.
A jury found Mara guilty of four counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor, as well as attempted coercion and enticement of a minor and attempted obstruction of justice.
The offences occurred in 2022 and 2023 at a residence leased for US diplomatic personnel. Because the property was reserved for official use, it fell under US jurisdiction, allowing American authorities to prosecute.
Prosecutors said Mara exploited the vulnerable circumstances of the victims, who were aged 13 and 15 when the abuse began. He allegedly used the girls’ mother’s life-threatening illness as leverage, demanding sexual acts in exchange for help, and provided them with phones to summon them while his wife was at work.
Mara was also convicted of sending sexually explicit messages to one of the girls and attempting to persuade a housekeeper to mislead investigators.
The case was investigated by US authorities with assistance from Burkina Faso and prosecuted as part of Project Safe Childhood, launched in 2006.
“His crimes were reprehensible. While no sentence could undo the harm he caused, today’s outcome demonstrates that those who abuse children – domestically or abroad – will face significant consequences in the American justice system,” said Assistant Attorney General A Tysen Duva.
US Attorney Kelly Hayes for the District of Maryland added, “Our message is clear, those who prey on our children will pay a hefty price.” Officials said the life term reflects the seriousness of the crimes and underscores the US government’s commitment to prosecuting child sexual abuse, including offences committed abroad by American citizens.
