PIERRE, SD – Patrick Red Legs, a 31-year-old from McLaughlin, South Dakota, has been sentenced to one year and 11 months in federal prison for failing to register as a sex offender. The sentence was handed down by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange of the U.S. District Court on June 30, 2025.
Red Legs had previously been convicted of sexually abusing a 13-year-old girl, which mandated his registration under federal law. This conviction marks his third for failure to register correctly. Following his release from prison on June 10, 2024, Red Legs failed to update his address after moving in with his girlfriend in Little Eagle without notifying authorities.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the United States Marshals Service as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Red Legs’ latest transgression came when he moved into his girlfriend’s home despite being prohibited from living there due to her children. He only updated his address after being arrested for violating his supervised release on August 12, 2024.
The sentence includes five years of supervised release and an order to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Red Legs was immediately remanded into custody following the sentencing.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
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Key Facts
- State: South Dakota
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes|Violent Crime|Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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