Press Release

Anchorage Man Sentenced to 70 Years for Sexual Assaults

January 10, 2017

(ANCHORAGE, Alaska) On January 9, 2017, Superior Court Judge Paul Olson sentenced 37 year old Clifford Lee to a total of 70 years in prison for two counts of sexual assault. Lee was sentenced based on his guilty plea in August 2016 to two counts of sexual assault in the first degree. As part of his plea agreement, Lee agreed he had sexually assaulted eight women between 2001 and 2014 in Anchorage.

The Anchorage Police Department investigated sexual assaults in 2001 and 2005 which were not initially solved. In the summer of 2014, the Anchorage Police Department received several similar sexual assault reports. The investigation identified then 35yearold Clifford Lee as a suspect.

The Anchorage Police Department collected Lee’s DNA in 2014 which led to his identification as the suspect in the 2001 and 2005 sexual assaults through the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS). The CODIS database is administered in Alaska by the Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory. The CODIS database is a collection of DNA profiles collected from persons arrested or convicted of offenses specified by Alaska Statutes.

At the sentencing hearing, Judge Olson agreed with the State that Lee’s offenses were among the most serious offenses. Judge Olson explained that Lee’s actions were cold, calculated, intentional, and predatory and that Lee targeted women who were vulnerable. Judge Olson found that Lee posed a danger to the public and had shown no insight into his behavior. Lee faced a sentence of up to 99 years on each count. Judge Olson sentenced Lee to serve a total of 70 years in prison, with an additional 20 years of suspended time. Lee will be on probation for 10 years and will be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

CONTACT: Assistant District Attorney Jenna Gruenstein at (907) 269-6300 or jenna.gruenstein@alaska.gov. More information about the Anchorage District Attorney’s Office is available at http://www.law.alaska.gov/department/criminal/adao.html.

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Department Media Contacts: Communications Director Patty Sullivan at patty.sullivan@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6368. Information Officer Sam Curtis at sam.curtis@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6269.