Anthony man sentenced to 30 years for 2021 rape

Apr. 5—An Anthony man was sentenced Friday to 30 years in prison after a federal jury convicted him last year of kidnapping and raping a woman who accepted a ride from him in 2021.

Jeffrey Steven Clay, 51, was convicted on May 5 in U.S. District Court in Albuquerque of one count each of kidnapping and transportation for illegal sexual activity, federal court records show. He was sentenced Thursday before U.S. District Judge Kenneth Gonzales in Albuquerque.

At the time of the attack, Clay was working for the El Paso Independent School District as executive director of analytics, strategy and assessment, the U.S. Attorney for the District of New Mexico's office said in a written statement.

A woman identified as Jane Doe was waiting at a bus stop in El Paso on Aug. 4, 2021, when Clay offered her a ride to her friend's house, according to the statement.

Federal officials did not disclose Doe's age. The woman, who testified at Clay's trial and sentencing, accepted the ride and put $10 in the car's center console to pay for gas, it said.

"Instead of taking her to her friend's home, Clay kidnapped Jane Doe and took her to his house in Anthony, New Mexico, where he handcuffed and violently raped her," the statement said. "During the rape, Clay told Jane Doe that she deserved it."

Anthony is located in southern Doña Ana County, about 18 miles north of El Paso.

After the attack, Clay drove the woman back to El Paso, where she jumped out of the car at a red light and ran into a Circle K convenience store to seek help.

At Clay's trial and sentencing, a second woman testified that Clay raped her numerous times both as a minor and as an adult, including while she was seven months pregnant, the statement said.

The woman reported the rapes when she was a child, but later recanted after Clay threatened her, it said.

The sentencing was announced Friday by U.S. Attorney Alexander M.M. Uballez and Raul Bujanda, special agent in charge of the FBI Albuquerque Field Office.