LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. — A former Larimer County chief deputy district attorney who pleaded guilty in September to third-degree sexual assault as part of a plea deal in connection with a 1999 incident involving an intern was sentenced Monday in the case.
Daniel Quinn was initially charged with sexual assault on a child by one in a position of trust but agreed to plead guilty to third-degree sexual assault. Under the deal, his sentence will be deferred, meaning if he completes four years of stipulated conditions, his conviction will be dismissed with prejudice.
If Quinn violates the conditions of his deferred sentence, he will be found guilty of third-degree sexual assault and could be sentenced to six to 24 months in jail.
Due to Quinn's connections with the 8th Judicial District Attorney's Office, prosecutors from the neighboring DA's office in Weld County were given the case after Quinn’s defense attorney filed a motion to move the case to a different county arguing a conflict of interest.
“Our office works tirelessly to ensure justice for victims and our staff were outraged and heartbroken that a former member of the office had used their position to victimize a young member of the community,” a spokesperson with the 8th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said. “We commend the courage of this victim in coming forward to confront their abuser and seek justice.”
The victim in the case, who spoke with Denver7 on condition of anonymity last month, was in high school when she began her internship with the 8th Judicial District Attorney's Office as a file clerk.
He would take me out to lunch. He asked me to play on his daughter's soccer team that he was coaching. He bought me gifts. We'd go on rides in the mountains. He helped me with an essay in school," she recalled. “My 16-year-old and 17-year-old selves were thrilled, and because of the power differential, I didn't really understand how inappropriate it was.”
According to Quinn's arrest affidavit, Poudre School District became aware of "inappropriate emails" between Quinn and the high school student. The school district then alerted the district attorney's office.
The survivor was told she could no longer work at the DA's office, while Quinn was allowed to resign.
"It was swept under the rug," the survivor said. “It took years for me to realize it, and a really good therapist to realize that what happened was wrong because it didn't feel wrong. Nobody got in trouble but me, and so it's confusing.”
After filing a lawsuit under the Child Sexual Abuse Accountability Act, which was signed into Colorado law in 2021 and took effect the following year, the current 8th Judicial District Attorney, Gordon McLaughlin, reported it to Fort Collins Police Services.
“As that civil case unfolded, we realized that there were certainly credible allegations that needed further investigation," said McLaughlin. “I'm certainly incredibly saddened and angry that those at the time did not do all they could or should have done.”
The survivor, who previously told Denver7 she had mixed emotions about the plea deal, said justice is not the right word for this case. Instead, she feels accountability is a more fitting description of what has happened.
"The thought that I would just automatically get closure by going through this process — that's not how it works," she said. “I just hope that other adult survivors of child sexual abuse realize they're not alone. There's a whole lot of us, unfortunately.”
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