Former congressional staffer Donny Ray Williams Jr. pleaded guilty in D.C. Superior Court Tuesday to four charges of sexual assault in a plea deal that could keep him out of jail.  

The Washington Post first reported the news Tuesday night. The guilty plea is the latest development in a case that has been ongoing for more than two years. In 2012, Williams was indicted on 10 counts of sexual assault for allegedly assaulting four women after drugging their drinks between July and December 2010. At the time he pled not guilty. According to the court docket, Williams pled guilty Tuesday to third degree sexual abuse, two misdemeanor charges of sexual abuse, and one charge of threats to do bodily harm. D.C. Superior Court Judge Robert E. Morin must next approve the plea, and dismiss the remaining charges, in a sentencing hearing scheduled for March 6. Williams’ trial had been scheduled to come before a jury on Jan. 5.  

Prosecutors told The Washington Post that as part of the plea agreement, “they would seek a suspended prison term and five years of supervised probation. Williams also would have to register as a sex offender for 10 years.”  

Williams worked on Capitol Hill for a decade and served as the staff director for Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on State, Local and Private Sector Preparedness and Integration before he was charged. He also worked for several Democratic lawmakers, including Sens. Herb Kohl of Wisconsin and Mary L. Landrieu of Louisiana, and Reps. Elijah Cummings of Maryland and Jan Schakowsky of Illinois.  

Niels Lesniewski contributed to this report.
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