NOVEMBER 2022:
A man from Lower Brule convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender has been sentenced (Nov. 7, 2022) in federal court.
Russell Dean Wright, age 54, was sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
The conviction stems from Wright failing to register as a sex offender as required by federal law between November 1, 2021, and April 4, 2022. Wright had previously been convicted of a sex offense in federal court which requires him to register for 25 years upon his release from federal prison.
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.
Wright was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
MAY 2022:
A federal grand jury has determined there is enough evidence to charge a 54 year old man from Lower Brule with Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.
Russell Dean Wright pled not guilty.
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 Indictment alleges that between on or about November 1, 2021, and April 4, 2022, Wright, a person required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, and a sex offender by reason of a conviction under federal law, knowingly failed to register and update his registration.
The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service.
Wright was remanded to state custody pending trial, which has been set for July 26, 2022.
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