An Anchorage man who plead guilty to raping eight women over a 13-year period was sentenced to serve 70 years in prison on Monday. Anchorage Superior Court Judge Paul Olson said Clifford Lee was a serious offender with little prospect for rehabilitation.
Lee agreed to a plea deal with the state after his arrest in 2014. As part of the deal he confessed to raping one woman in 2005, another in 2010 and six more in 2014. The crimes were consolidated into two counts of first degree sexual assault.
Judge Olson said he gave Lee a longer sentence because the case had aggregating factors, including the number of victims and the fact that Lee targeted vulnerable women who were often homeless and sometimes inebriated. According to prosecutors, Lee offered victims rides when they were walking alone, gained their trust, then threatened and assaulted them, sometimes using a weapon.
Lee’s attorney had asked the judge for a 35 year sentence, state prosecutor’s wanted 99 years. Lee will be eligible for parole after he serves about 50 years of his sentence. At that time he will be 85 years old.
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