Texas man sentenced for sexually assaulting woman while working for US in Iraq
Judge gavel, scales of justice and law books in court. (Brian A. Jackson/South Florida Sun Sentinel)
WACO, Texas - A Texas man who worked for the U.S. Department of State has been convicted of sexually assaulting a woman while at the U.S. Embassy in Iraq.
The man was sentenced to a year and a half in prison, and was ordered to pay the woman less than $5,000 in restitution.
Former State Department contractor sentenced
Taurean Clarence Coppage, 40, of Killeen, has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge David Counts to 18 months in prison for abusive sexual contact.
Coppage was accused of assaulting a woman in her own home at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad while she was sleeping. She reported to authorities that this happened after she allowed Coppage to stay at her home after his going-away party.
The party happened on Feb. 18, 2025, the Wednesday release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Texas, says, a day before Coppage was set to leave Iraq. Coppage had been working in the country as a contractor with the U.S. Department of State.
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Coppage reportedly walked the victim home from the party to her residence on the embassy grounds, at which point the two agreed that he would stay there for the night to avoid being out past curfew.
According to the woman, Coppage attempted to "engage in sexual activities" with her while she was asleep, briefly waking her up, at which point she rejected him and tried to push him away before she lost consciousness again.
The State Department launched an investigation into the matter after the victim reported it, and Coppage reportedly admitted to sexually assaulting her on Aug. 5, 2025.
Tuesday, Coppage was sentenced to prison and ordered to pay $4,949.98 in restitution to the victim.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Texas.