Woman Who Documented Sexual Assault of Girl in Spring Valley Sentenced to 25 Years

A woman who stood by and documented her husband's sexual assault of a 6-year-old girl in their Spring Valley apartment, then downloaded the photos to a computer that he took aboard his Navy ship, was sentenced Friday to 25 years in federal prison.

Rachel Ann Wyly, 27, was also ordered by U.S. District Court Judge Janis Sammartino to register as a sex offender.

She was convicted last October of sexual exploitation of a child.

According to evidence presented at trial, the defendant took used her cell phone to take photos of her husband sexually assaulting the child in July 2008. The victim and her father were staying with the Wylys for a few weeks in July 2008 while the man was finishing his Navy military service, prosecutors said.

The images were downloaded to Joshua Wyly's computer, which he took aboard the ship to which he was assigned. In September 2009, while he was deployed, a fellow sailor saw the sexual images on his computer and reported it to the Naval Criminal Investigative Service.

In May 2010, Joshua Wyly was convicted in military court for rape of the minor and was sentenced to 30 years in custody.

"It is difficult to conceive of a more devastating or tragic crime for an innocent child to have suffered at the hands of someone she trusted," said U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy. "These defendants took the victim's childhood from her and now justice has taken their freedom."

– City News Service