80-Year-Old Fall River Man Gets Prison Time for Raping Young Relatives

FALL RIVER (WBSM) — An 80-year-old Fall River man has been sentenced to state prison after pleading guilty to child rape charges.

Details of the Charges Against Roland Sampson

Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced that Roland Sampson pleaded guilty in Fall River Superior Court on April 22 to aggravated statutory rape, rape of a child, indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, indecent exposure, and sexual conduct with a child for a fee.

He was sentenced to five to 10 years in state prison, followed by 15 years of supervised probation with GPS monitoring.

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Abuse Allegations Spanning Years

The charges date back to March 2023, when one of Sampson’s minor female relatives disclosed that Sampson had raped and molested her in Fall River on multiple occasions when she was between the ages of nine and 12, and he was between the ages of 73 and 77. Sampson would provide her with money or gifts.

Second Victim Comes Forward

A second female relative also disclosed she was raped and molested by Sampson in Berkley when she was between the ages of seven and eight, and he was 61 to 62 years old.

Text Messages Corroborate Victims’ Accounts

According to the D.A.’s Office, police recovered text messages that corroborated the victims’ accounts. When presented with those texts, Sampson admitted to raping and sexually molesting both girls and providing them with gift cards.

District Attorney Reacts to Case Outcome

"The defendant sexually assaulted minor relatives on multiple occasions. This clearly demonstrates a disturbed mind and a clear breach of trust in the betrayal based on his relationship with the victims,” Quinn said. “I am pleased that the victims did not have to testify. The defendant’s age was a factor in the 10-year sentence that was recommended and imposed by the court.”