Former Larimer County District Attorney sentenced to prison for sexual assault on intern

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 to prison in the case.

Daniel Quinn was initially charged with sexual assault of a child by a trusted party but agreed to plead guilty to third-degree sexual assault. Under the agreement, his sentence will be suspended, meaning his conviction will be dismissed with prejudice if he completes four years of the stipulated terms.

If Quinn violates the terms of his suspended sentence, he will be found guilty of third-degree sexual assault and could be sentenced to six to 24 months in prison.

Because of Quinn’s connections to the 8th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, the case was assigned to prosecutors from the neighboring district attorney’s office in Weld County after Quinn’s defense attorney filed a motion to move the case to a different county, citing a conflict of interest.

“Our office works tirelessly to obtain justice for victims, and our staff is outraged and heartbroken that a former member of the office used his position to victimize a young member of the community,” a spokesperson for the 8th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said. “We appreciate this victim’s bravery in coming forward to confront her abuser and seek justice.”

The victim in the case, the person who spoke to Denver7 last month on condition of anonymity.He was in high school when he started his internship as a file officer at the 8th Courthouse Prosecutor’s Office.

He was going to take me out to lunch. He wanted me to play on the football team that his daughter was coaching. He bought me gifts. We would go for a walk in the mountains. “He helped me write a paper when I was in school,” she recalled. “My 16-year-old and 17-year-old selves were so excited, and I didn’t really understand how inappropriate it was because of the power difference.”

According to Quinn’s arrest affidavit, the Poudre School District became aware of “inappropriate emails” between Quinn and the high school student. The school district then notified the district attorney’s office.

The survivor was told he could no longer work in the DA’s office, while Quinn was allowed to resign.

“It was swept under the rug,” the survivor said. “It took me years to realize this, and it took years for a really good therapist to realize that what was happening was wrong because it didn’t feel wrong. “No one has ever gotten into trouble other than me, and that’s why it’s confusing.”

After filing a lawsuit under Child Sexual Abuse Liability ActSigned into Colorado law in 2021 and effective the following year, 8th Judicial District Attorney Gordon McLaughlin reported this to Fort Collins Police Services.

“As this civil case unfolded, we realized there were certainly credible allegations that required further investigation,” McLaughlin said. “I’m absolutely incredibly upset and angry that they didn’t do everything they could or should have done at the time.”

The victim, who previously told Denver7 that he had mixed feelings about the plea deal, said justice wasn’t the right word for this case. Instead, he thinks responsibility is a more appropriate description of what is happening.

“The thought that by going through this process I’m automatically going to get shut down — that’s not how it works,” he said. “I hope other adult survivors of child sexual abuse realize that they are not alone. Unfortunately, there are too many of us.”