Shane Bruguier, a 47-year-old man from Eagle Butte, South Dakota, was sentenced on July 14 to 30 years in federal prison for aggravated sexual abuse of a child. The sentencing was announced by United States Attorney Ron Parsons.
Bruguier will also serve five years of supervised release and must pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2025 and found guilty after a three-day jury trial in April 2026.
The conviction relates to an incident that occurred between January and November 2015 within the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation. According to evidence presented at trial, the eight-year-old victim was asleep when she awoke to find Bruguier had pulled down her underwear and was rubbing her vagina with his hand. The victim pushed Bruguier away and told him to leave her room. The abuse came to light during a forensic interview in 2021.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case under the Major Crimes Act, which requires certain violent crimes occurring in Indian country be prosecuted federally rather than at the state level. This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local agencies.
This investigation involved the FBI and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Venhuizen handled prosecution duties. Bruguier was immediately remanded into custody following sentencing.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota serves as the chief federal law enforcement office for its district, handling both criminal prosecutions and civil cases across all of South Dakota while supporting initiatives that improve public safety and quality of life, according to the official website.