GREEN BAY (NBC 26) — A man convicted of sexual assault at an Ashwaubenon resort was sentenced on Friday to 10 years in prison and an additional 10 years of extended supervision.
Watch Pari Apostolakos' full broadcast story below:
Mauricio Powless was convicted of sexually assaulting two young girls and attempting to sexually assault another at the Tundra Lodge Resort in Ashwaubenon in January 2024.
Powless pleaded no contest to felony charges in February. He was charged with felony attempted first degree sexual assault of a child — sexual contact with a child under age 13 along with felony second degree sexual assault of a child under 16 years of age.
According to his plea deal, Powless will also be registered as a sex offender for life and be required to undergo mental health and drug abuse counseling.
The mother of one of the 13-year-old victims spoke in court Friday.
"[My daughter] is extremely afraid of men and boys now," the mother said. "She always has to be with me anywhere we go. She wakes up in the middle of the night sweating because of the playbacks in her head, crying, and refuses to be alone even at home."
Judge Beau Liegeois read impact statements from the other victims.
"You pulled down her pants, exposing her underwear to you," Liegeois said while reading the attempted sexual assault victim's statement. "Then you prevented her from leaving the elevator. She was ten years old ... The statement says that her only comfort is knowing that he is in jail ... [Then] as to victim four, she was 13 years old at the time ... You snuck up behind her and pinched her buttocks. She seems to be a special needs child, making it difficult for her to cope with the victimization, even with counseling. She frequently inquires about the defendant still being in jail and she is now afraid of being in crowds of people."
Both the defense and prosecution first asked the judge for a three-and-a-half year prison sentence agreed upon ahead of time, with eight years of extended supervision.
The defense asked the judge to keep in mind Powless was just 18 years old when he committed these crimes, without a serious criminal history, and the fact he was born addicted to both cocaine and marijuana, which could lead to impulse control issues.
Powless apologized to the victims in court.
"I'm not asking to go unpunished," Powless said. "I can't undo the mistake I made. Your honor, I'm asking for a chance to redeem myself."
The more than 440 days Powless has already served in jail will count toward his prison sentence.
