United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that following a five-day federal jury trial, Patrick Brown Thunder, age 31, of Eagle Butte, South Dakota, was convicted on December 7, 2012, of one count of sex with a minor and one count of sexual abuse of a person incapable of consenting. The sexual abuse charge carries a maximum penalty of up to life in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. The sex with a minor charge has a maximum sentence of 15 years in custody, a $250,000 fine, or both.
Brown Thunder was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2011 for sex with a minor, two counts of sexual abuse, and kidnapping. He was found not guilty of one count of sexual abuse and the kidnapping charge. The charges were the result of two incidents that occurred in April 2006 and March 2008 near Dupree, South Dakota.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Division and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Mikal Hanson.
The defendant was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals Service pending sentencing on February 13, 2013.
