Nebraska running back Maurice Washington faces revenge and child porn charges in California

The freshman is facing charges under a relatively new law addressing the issue in his home state

Feb 13, 2019

University of Nebraska running back Maurice Washington faces alarming criminal charges for revenge porn and child porn, according to court records obtained by NBC Bay Area.

Washington allegedly kept a video of his former girlfriend when she was victimized and sexually assaulted at age 15 by two male classmates, then sent the video to the victim as revenge after a breakup. Because of allegations that he distributed the video, he also faces child porn charges in California, his home state.

Documents show Washington, now 19, allegedly sent the video last March, upset that he and the ex-girlfriend were no longer an item. They previously attended The King’s Academy High School. Washington is not in the video and reportedly did not record it.

The video depicts the victim, who is now 18, and two male classmates who were reportedly sexually assaulting her. She says it was not consensual.

“I tried so hard to forget it, and then to have someone just throw it back in my face like that and taunt me with it was just so evil,” the young woman told NBC Bay Area. “Maybe that’s the wrong word to use, but I felt like it was evil, like why would you ever want somebody to feel that pain that I felt that day?”

The young woman said she never filed rape charges but she did inform police about what occurred.

“When it first happened, it was a big emotional trauma for me and I just wasn’t ready to deal with it,” she told NBC Bay Area.

In 2016, one of the boys in the video was arrested and placed on probation for distribution of child pornography.

“Mr. Washington will continue to be fully cooperative with the authorities in this situation,” his attorney, John C. Ball, told NBC. “We are in contact with those authorities, and are in the process of making arrangements to move forward and resolve this matter. Mr. Washington has confidence in our justice system, and knows that he can rely on the fundamental constitutional rights of due process and the presumption of innocence.”

Washington was a true freshman at Nebraska last season and rushed for 455 yards on 77 carries and caught 24 passes for 221 yards, according to ESPN.

The Nebraska Athletic Department released a statement saying that although they were made aware of the incident last year, there was no follow up from the Nebraska Attorney’s General’s office. They said they were just recently made aware of the criminal charges. They vowed to continue to monitor the situation.