New Bedford Man Sentenced After Raping, Impregnating 13-Year-Old

FALL RIVER — A 46-year-old New Bedford man who raped and impregnated a 13-year-old girl was sentenced last week to serve up to 12 years in state prison, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

William Costa pleaded guilty in Fall River Superior Court to indictments charging him with rape of a child and enticing a minor.

This case came to authorities when in late 2015, the 13-year-old victim presented to the hospital seven months pregnant. The child initially would not reveal the identity of the father. The victim ultimately gave birth and a DNA test was performed that indicated that the defendant was the father of the child. Investigators eventually learned that the defendant, who was the victim's mother's boyfriend, and the victim were engaging in sexual acts for the past three years or more.

"This conduct is reprehensible to say the least and this sentence holds the defendant accountable without having to put the victim through a trial," District Attorney Quinn said. "Understandably, it has caused the victim great emotional turmoil and it was determined that a resolution of the case prior to trial was in her best interest. I hope she can move forward with her life."

Assistant District Attorney Casey Smith prosecuted the case and the nine-to-12-year state prison term was imposed by Judge Raffi Yessayan. Upon the defendant's release from prison, he will immediately be placed on supervised probation for an additional five years.

Conditions of probation:

a) The defendant shall attend sex offender treatment at his own expense as directed by the Probation Officer and as ordered by the court, at a program approved by the Probation Department, and shall remain in treatment unless and until professionally discharged by the approved sex offender therapist;

b) The defendant shall not reside in a household with minor children;

c) The defendant shall have no unsupervised contact with minor children;

d) The defendant shall have no supervised contact with minor children unless and until the supervisor has been approved in advance by the Probation Officer and informed by Probation Officer of the offense for which the defendant is on probation and of any other sexual offense for which the defendant has been found guilty;

e) The defendant shall not be employed in a job that puts him into contact with minor children on a regular basis and all employment must be approved in advance by the Probation Officer;

f) The defendant shall not perform volunteer activities that put him into contact with children on a regular basis and all volunteer activities must be approved in advance by the Probation Officer;

g) The defendant shall not date any parent of a minor child without permission from the Probation Officer and, if permission is granted, said individual must be informed by the Probation Officer of the offense for which the defendant is on probation and of any other sexual offense for which the defendant has been found guilty;

h) The defendant shall comply with his legal obligations to register with the Sex Offender Registry Board;

i) The defendant shall be subject to GPS monitoring as required by statute for the entirety of his probation sentence with exclusion zones as to the victim when she is in Massachusetts and agrees that the exclusion zones for GPS may be altered as deemed appropriate by probation;

j) The defendant shall have no contact, directly or indirectly with the victim in this case

--Bristol County District Attorney's Office