A former New Orleans police officer booked with 16 sex crimes against young boys – including six allegations of rape – has agreed to resolve his case by pleading guilty to five counts of sexual battery against juveniles under the age of 13, according to two sources familiar with the case.
After months of delay and negotiations, District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro’s office charged Marcellus White with the five offenses in a bill of information filed Wednesday (Aug. 9), court records show. Neither Cannizzaro’s office nor White’s attorney Bruce Whittaker would comment on the court filing.
The sources did not disclose the sentence length that will be recommended to Criminal District Judge Tracey Flemings-Davillier, who will preside over the case. But each count White faces carries a penalty range of 25 years to life, with at least 25 years required to be served without the benefit of parole, probation or suspension of sentence.
White’s arraignment is scheduled for Aug. 15. The sources said White, who is jailed in lieu of an $850,000 bond, initially will plead not guilty. He is expected to withdraw that plea at a subsequent court appearance and plead guilty before some of his alleged victims and their families are given the chance to make impact statements in court.
Officer Marcellus White, a 19-year veteran of the force, apologized in an email to the victim’s mother for ‘the trust I have violated,’ according to court documents.
White, 46, was arrested in September 2016 after a teen male relative reported being raped at the 19-year veteran police officer’s Algiers apartment in March or early April 2016, when he was 14. White was booked with felony counts of second-degree rape, molestation of a juvenile and indecent behavior with a juvenile. The NOPD placed White on emergency administrative suspension from his duty patrolling the 2nd District in Uptown.
After White’s arrest, more victims came forward, including several alleging that White sexually abused them while serving as “Sensei Mark,” teaching martial arts at the Iberville Scorpions Karate Academy he helped found in 1998 and other locations.
White was rebooked last Nov. 21 with more than a dozen additional allegations, including a first-degree rape that would carry a mandatory life sentence and five counts of second-degree rape each punishable by up to 40 years. White resigned from the NOPD that day.
Source: http://www.nola.com/