❓WHAT HAPPENED: A former Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department officer, already incarcerated for rape and linked to multiple sexual assault cases in Northern Virginia and Maryland, is among the law enforcement “honored” by a commemorative January 6 plaque installed this past weekend in the U.S. Capitol.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Former D.C. officer Timothy Valentin and multiple victims across Maryland and Virginia.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Offenses occurred in 2024 and 2025 in Northern Virginia and Maryland. Valentin was arrested in December 2025, and the plaque was installed on March 7, 2026.
🎯IMPACT: The investigation into numerous allegations of rape and sexual assault tied to Valentin continues, with potential further charges and victims identified.
Timothy Valentin, a former Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer listed among those honored by a commemorative January 6 plaque installed this past weekend in the U.S. Capitol, has been incarcerated since December last year on charges of rape, rape by force, and rape by physical incapacity or helplessness, among other counts. The inclusion of Valentin on a list of law enforcement officers honored for their actions during the January 6, 2021, Capitol protests—accessible through a QR code placed next to the plaque—is raising questions about the judgment and vetting implemented regarding the display.
The plaque was first authorized by Congress as an earmark buried in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022 (H.R. 2471), sponsored by Representative Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). Despite its adoption as part of the broader bill, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA)—after Republicans took control of the lower chamber—has used several procedural tools to delay the plaque’s installation. However, the plaque was forced to be temporarily displayed in the Senate wing of the Capitol Building after a resolution introduced by Sens. Thom Tillis (R-NC) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) was adopted in January of this year.
In 2021, Valentin was a patrol officer with the MPD—having joined the force in 2016—and served as part of the department’s response team during the Capitol protests. He and other officers present that day, per the provision in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022, are listed in a lengthy PDF hosted on the Architect of the Capitol’s website and accessible via a QR code next to the plaque.
Disturbingly, months prior to receiving this “honor,” Valentin was arrested and charged with five felony counts involving rape. Even more troubling, when investigators reviewed the contents of Valentin’s phone, they found additional evidence potentially tying him to a series of unsolved sexual assaults in both Maryland and Virginia. On Monday, a grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, issued a superseding indictment adding more charges against the former MPD officer, who is among those hailed as “brave” and a “hero” by Sens. Merkley and Tillis, in connection with three other sexual crimes from March and November last year.
According to Maryland and Virginia prosecutors, they have identified at least ten victims of Valentin so far. They allege that Valentin would use dating apps to select his victims and then take the women out on dates, plying them with alcoholic beverages believed to be laced with sedatives. Once unconscious, Valentin would rape the women.
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