A Maryland man who once served as a diplomat for the United States has been sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of sexually abusing two teenage girls while posted in Burkina Faso.
Fode Sitafa Mara, 41, received the life term on Wednesday following a federal trial that ran for two weeks in October 2025. A jury found him guilty on four counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor, along with attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, and attempted obstruction of justice.
The case was prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood, a US Justice Department program launched in 2006 to address sexual exploitation of children. Authorities said the abuse occurred in 2022 and 2023 in Ouagadougou, where Mara was stationed at the US embassy.
Court records indicate that Mara committed the crimes at a residence leased for American diplomatic staff. Because the property was reserved for official use, US law applied, allowing authorities to take legal action against him.
The victims, who were 13 and 15 years old at the time, came from disadvantaged families. Prosecutors said Mara exploited their vulnerability over roughly one year to carry out his crimes.
"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.
Investigators reported that Mara used the serious illness of the girls’ mother to coerce them into sexual acts, claiming he could not help them otherwise. He gave the girls phones to call him while his wife was away, sent sexually explicit messages to one of the victims, and tried to convince a housekeeper to provide false information to investigators.
The investigation was conducted by US authorities in cooperation with Burkina Faso officials.
Kelly Hayes, US attorney for the District of Maryland, said, "Our message is clear, those who prey on our children will pay a hefty price."
US officials stressed that the life sentence underscores the severity of Mara’s actions and reinforces the government’s commitment to holding American citizens accountable for child sexual abuse, including offences committed abroad.
