Elijah Brown Thunder, a 29-year-old man from Fort Thompson, South Dakota, was sentenced on July 13 to 15 years in federal prison for sexual assault of a minor. The sentencing was announced by United States Attorney Ron Parsons and took place in U.S. District Court before Judge Eric Schulte.
Brown Thunder will also serve 10 years of supervised release following his prison term and has been ordered to pay $2,444.70 in restitution along with a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. He pleaded guilty on April 13 after being indicted in April of the previous year.
According to court documents, Brown Thunder engaged in multiple acts of sexual abuse with a victim between the ages of 12 and 16 over an extended period beginning in November 2017. The offenses occurred within the Crow Creek Sioux Indian Reservation.
The prosecution was brought under the Major Crimes Act, which requires certain violent crimes committed 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 that coordinates federal, state, and local resources to address child exploitation and abuse cases nationwide.
Additionally, this case falls under the Department of Justice’s Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons Regional Outreach Program aimed at improving prevention and response efforts regarding missing or murdered Indigenous people through collaboration among law enforcement agencies at various levels. Brown Thunder was immediately remanded into custody following sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Missing and Murdered Indigenous Person Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Great Plains Troy R. Morley. The U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota serves as chief federal law enforcement officer for its district; it handles criminal prosecutions and civil cases across South Dakota while supporting initiatives that improve public safety and quality of life, according to the official website.