A Killeen man who worked as a contractor for the U.S. Department of State in Baghdad has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a colleague at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. The sentence, handed down Tuesday in federal court in Waco, also includes about $4,950 in restitution to the victim. Prosecutors say the assault followed a going-away party on the embassy compound.
What prosecutors say
Prosecutors identified the defendant as 40-year-old Taurean Clarence Coppage, a State Department contractor assigned to the embassy in Baghdad. According to court filings, Coppage attended a going-away party on the embassy compound on Feb. 18, 2025. He then walked a female colleague back to her residence and agreed to stay there overnight because of curfew rules.
The filings state the woman woke up to find Coppage attempting to engage in sexual activity. She pushed him away, later lost consciousness, and the incident was investigated by the State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas.
Court timeline and sentence
Federal court records show Coppage was first summoned to appear on March 24, 2025. A superseding information was filed on July 31, 2025, and he entered a guilty plea on Aug. 5, 2025.
On Tuesday, U.S. District Judge David Counts sentenced Coppage to 18 months in prison and ordered him to pay $4,949.98 in restitution to the victim, as posted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, WDTX.
Investigation and prosecution
The State Department’s Diplomatic Security Service handled the investigation. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Kucera and Department of Justice Criminal Division Trial Attorney Daria Andryushchenko, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Texas. The office’s press release states that Coppage admitted in court filings that he sexually assaulted the victim.
Legal note
Criminal cases involving U.S. contractors accused of offenses overseas can be legally complicated. Jurisdiction can depend on the contractor’s status, the nature of the mission, and where the alleged conduct took place. A report from the Congressional Research Service notes that U.S. statutes, including the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, along with federal courts, have been used to bring charges in overseas cases, particularly when the alleged conduct occurs on U.S. government property.
