Jay Haggard, Ryan Juan Sentenced in Child Exploitation Case

Two men from opposite ends of the country have been handed federal sentences for preying on underage girls during a late-night binge in South Dakota. Jay Leslie Haggard, 32, of Mankato, Minnesota, and Ryan Lawrence Juan, 24, of Delano, California, were convicted in a case that exposed how easily predators exploit vulnerable youth across state lines.

Haggard was found guilty by a federal jury in Sioux Falls on March 7, 2019, on two counts of Contributing to the Delinquency of a Child. The verdict followed a trial that laid bare the duo’s actions between August 22 and August 23, 2017, when they met two juvenile females and plied them with alcohol. On March 8, 2019, Haggard was sentenced to time served, one year of supervised release, and a $50 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Juan, facing the same core allegations, pled guilty to two counts of Furnishing Alcoholic Beverages to a Child and one count of Failure to Appear. The failure stemmed from his no-show at an initial court appearance on September 17, 2018, before Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy. Sentenced on May 9, 2019, Juan received time served and was ordered to pay a $75 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

The case began when a federal grand jury returned an indictment against both men on September 6, 2017. What followed was a grim timeline of manipulation and disregard for the law — starting with the pair targeting minors and ending with Juan’s deliberate absence from court. The conduct, prosecutors argued, wasn’t just reckless — it was predatory.

Investigation was led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which traced digital and physical evidence linking Haggard and Juan to the incident. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Hoffman prosecuted, emphasizing the lasting psychological toll on the victims. U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier presided over both sentencing hearings in Sioux Falls.

This case stands as a stark reminder: federal jurisdiction can and will be used to protect children when adults cross state lines to exploit them. Haggard and Juan may have served their time behind bars, but the damage they inflicted won’t be erased by a sentence of time served.