Convicted Sex Offender Sentenced for Escaping from Custody and Failing to Register as Sex Offender

Baltimore, Maryland - A convicted sex offender received a federal-prison sentence for escaping from a Baltimore halfway house and then failing to register as a sex offender.

United States Chief District Judge George L. Russell, III, sentenced Ronnie Holmes, 42, of Washington, D.C., to 15 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for escaping from federal custody and failing to register as a sex offender.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the sentence with Clinton J. Fuchs, U.S. Marshal for the District of Maryland (USMS).

According to court documents, in June 2013, Holmes was convicted of sex trafficking a child in the Eastern District of Virginia. Holmes then received a 168-month sentence, followed by five years of supervised release. As a result of the conviction, Holmes is a Tier II sex offender and required to register for 25 years.

In January 2025, after serving approximately 11.5 years in a correctional facility, Holmes was transferred to a halfway house in Baltimore to serve the rest of his sentence. He was placed under surveillance via an ankle monitor. Then in July 2025, Holmes escaped from the halfway house and cut off his ankle monitor. Holmes remained on the run for almost a year before authorities apprehended him in June 2026. During his time on the run, Holmes was required to register as a sex offender but failed to do so.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney's Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, visit justice.gov/psc and click on the "Resources" tab on the left of the page.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the USMS for its work in the investigation. Ms. Hayes also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexandria A. Bell and Colleen E. McGuinn who prosecuted the federal case.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office, its priorities, and resources available to help the community, visit justice.gov/usao-md.

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