Rapid City Attorney Kenneth Orrock Pleads Guilty to Tax Fraud

Rapid City attorney Kenneth E. Orrock, 48, has admitted to stealing from the federal government — not with a gun, but with a pen. Orrock pleaded guilty to Failure to Collect and Pay Over Tax, a federal charge stemming from his role as owner of Black Hills Asset Protection Group, a private security firm operating as Black Hills Patrol.

On February 10, 2017, Orrock stood before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollman and entered his plea under a binding agreement with federal prosecutors. The case, filed January 30, 2017, exposes a breach of trust by a man sworn to uphold the law. Orrock wasn’t just a businessman — he was the elected Bennett County State’s Attorney until January 2017, resigning just weeks before pleading guilty.

The crime? Orrock failed to forward federal employee tax withholdings collected from workers at his security company. Those funds, withheld directly from employee paychecks, are not discretionary — they’re held in trust for the IRS. By skimming them, Orrock violated one of the most serious financial obligations a business owner can have.

He now faces a maximum penalty of 5 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine. Additional consequences include up to 3 years of supervised release, a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund, and court-ordered restitution to cover the unpaid taxes.

The Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation Division led the probe, following the money trail from Black Hills Patrol’s payroll operations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk W. Albertson is handling prosecution, building a case that underscores how white-collar crimes rip at the fabric of public trust — especially when committed by a prosecutor.

Orrock was released pending sentencing. No date has been set. But one fact remains: a man once tasked with enforcing the law now stands before it, charged with violating it for personal or operational gain. In the underground economy of financial crime, that kind of hypocrisy hits hardest.