Former Air Force Academy cadet convicted of raping classmate

DENVER — Federal prosecutors in Colorado say a former Air Force Academy cadet has been convicted of raping a fellow cadet.

U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn’s office says jurors found 20-year-old Alvaro Pablo Velarde guilty on Thursday of two counts of aggravated sexual abuse and one count of abusive sexual contact.

According to prosecutors, Velarde is a native of Lima, Peru. His sentencing hearing is set for July 30.

According to prosecutors, Velarde violently raped the female cadet in her dorm room in October and ignored her pleas to stop.

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Prosecutors said the woman was in severe pain and sought medical treatment immediately. Velarde was charged two days after the assault.

Prosecutors say a doctor later diagnosed the female cadet with a concussion due to the assault. Dunn says she showed “tremendous courage.”

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