PORTLAND, Ore.—On October 12, 2022, a federal jury in Portland found a Philomath, Oregon man guilty for failing to register as a sex offender.
Daniel Lynn Goering-Runyan, 37, was found guilty of one count of failing to register as a sex offender in violation of the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).
“The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act is an important law enforcement tool that helps break cycles of victimization in our communities. This case is a great example of the incredible work the U.S. Marshals Service does every day to locate and apprehend sex offenders who fail to register. Our communities are safer because of their dedication,” said Natalie Wight, U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
According to court documents, in September 2014, Goering-Runyan was sentenced to 12 to 15 years in Nebraska state prison after he was convicted of sexually assaulting a five-year-old girl. At his sentencing hearing, Goering-Runyan acknowledged, on the record, that his conviction would require him to register as a sex offender. He reviewed and signed five more notices of his sex-offender registration obligations while in prison. Upon his release from prison in September 2021, Goering-Runyan signed a certificate of service acknowledging his receipt of a letter from the Nebraska State Patrol advising him of his lifetime requirement to register as a sex offender.
Upon his release from prison, Goering-Runyan properly registered as a sex offender in Nebraska. Two months later, in late November 2021, he told Nebraska officials he was relocating to Houston, Texas. A Nebraska official told him to register as a sex offender with the sheriff in Houston within three days of his arrival. Goering-Runyan never registered. Three weeks later, he traveled by bus to Corvallis, Oregon, arriving on December 25, 2021.
Over the next four months, Goering-Runyan lived in several places in and around Corvallis. He properly obtained an Oregon Identification from the Department of Motor Vehicles in early May, declaring himself an Oregon resident, but never registered as a sex offender as required under Oregon and federal law.
On May 3, 2022, a federal grand jury in Portland returned an indictment charging Goering-Runyan with one count of failing to register as a sex offender. The following day, on May 4, 2022, he was arrested by the Corvallis Police Department.
Failing to register as a sex offender is punishable by up to 10 years in federal prison. Goering-Runyan will be sentenced on November 30, 2022, by U.S. District Court Chief Judge Marco A. Hernández.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service in Portland and Omaha, Nebraska with assistance from the Oregon State Police, the Corvallis and Philomath Police Departments, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, and the Lancaster County (Nebraska) Sheriff’s Office. It was prosecuted by Bryan Chinwuba, Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Oregon.
The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) is Title I of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. The act provides a comprehensive set of minimum standards for sex offender registration and notification in the United States. The U.S. Marshals Service is the federal government’s lead law enforcement agency for sex offender and fugitive investigations.