SEPTEMBER 2022:
A Newcastle, Nebraska, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender was sentenced last month (Sept. 2022) in federal court in South Dakota.
Joseph Ross Burks, age 41, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
The conviction stems from Burks failing to register as a sex offender as required by state law between May 22, 2021, and July 27, 2021. Burks had previously been convicted of a sex offense in state court which requires him to register for the period of 25 years.
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 U.S. Marshals Service.
FEBRUARY 2022:
A 40 year old Newcastle, Nebraska, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.
Joseph Ross Burks pled not guilty.
The Indictment alleges that between May 22, 2021, and July 27, 2021, Burks, a person required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, and a sex offender by reason of a conviction under state law, and having traveled in interstate commerce, failed to register and update his registration.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, life of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Hoffman is prosecuting the case.
Burks was returned to State Custody pending trial, which has been set for April 12, 2022.
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