PIERRE – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that a Parmelee, South Dakota, man convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact with a Minor was sentenced on November 21, 2022, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
Hehaka Thunder Hawk, age 39, was sentenced to a total of 24 months in federal prison, including credit for 10 months already served, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Thunder Hawk was indicted by a federal grand jury in November of 2021. He pleaded guilty on August 19, 2022.
The conviction stemmed from conduct that occurred between September 1, 2020, and September 30, 2020, in Todd County, when Thunder Hawk engaged in sexual contact with the minor victim.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Abby Roesler prosecuted the case.
Thunder Hawk was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.