New Bedford Man Sentenced for Child Rape

FALL RIVER (WBSM) — A New Bedford man has been sentenced to up to 20 years in prison for raping a child over the course of a number of years while she was between the ages of five and seven.

According to Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III, Marc Ribeiro, 34, was convicted on July 17 after a jury trial in Fall River Superior Court of two counts of aggravated rape of a child with a five-year age difference, indecent assault and battery on a child under 14 and assault to rape.

Ribeiro received a sentence of 18 to 20 years in state prison, followed by five years of probation.

Abuse Spanned Four Years in New Bedford

The D.A.’s Office said the crimes took place between July 2015 and July 2019. The victim was a young girl who Ribeiro had access to through a dating relationship. There were multiple incidents during that time in which Ribeiro sexually assaulted and raped the victim, who was between five and seven years old during that time.

Victim’s Health Class Disclosure

In 2023, the victim was in health class for a lesson about child abuse. It was then that she disclosed to her health teacher the abuse she had endured from Ribeiro.

District Attorney Condemns Crime

“The defendant took advantage of his access to this young victim and repeatedly raped and abused her between the ages of five and seven. This conduct committed against a very young and innocent victim is repulsive and warrants a lengthy prison sentence. I commend the victim for her perseverance during this very difficult ordeal.” — D.A. Thomas Quinn III

Here's How Many Sex Offenders Are in Each SouthCoast Community

While SouthCoast cities and towns are known for many things — great food, beautiful beaches, and fantastic events spring immediately to mind — like everywhere else, they also host some of the state's worst sex offenders. How many live or work in your community?

Here are the 25 area communities listed by number of sex offenders compared to population, lowest to highest.

Gallery Credit: Kate Robinson