PIERRE — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - South Dakota), published as received.
PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Todd County, South Dakota, man convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor. The sentencing took place on March 13, 2023.
Fremont Menard, a/k/a Fremont Menard, Jr., age 20, was sentenced to four years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Menard was indicted by a federal grand jury in August of 2022. He pleaded guilty on December 8, 2022.
The conviction stems from conduct that occurred in September of 2021 in Todd County, wherein Menard engaged in a sexual act with a minor who had attained the age of 12 years but had not attained the age of 16 years.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
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.
Menard was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
