Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that Oscar Hudspeth, Sr., a former law enforcement officer for the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler on February 20, 2025, following Hudspeth's conviction for aggravated sexual abuse of a child and abusive sexual contact.
Hudspeth, aged 54, will serve concurrent sentences for each count and will be under supervised release for five years after his prison term. Additionally, he is required to pay a special assessment of $200 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and must register as a sex offender upon release.
The case against Hudspeth originated from disclosures made in 2023 by a female juvenile who reported being sexually abused by him during the early to mid-2000s while her mother was married to him. The victim recounted incidents where Hudspeth touched her inappropriately at their home in Oglala when she was left alone with him while her mother worked.
This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at addressing child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide. It involves collaboration among federal, state, and local agencies to apprehend offenders and rescue victims.
The Major Crimes Act necessitates federal court jurisdiction over certain violent crimes occurring in Indian Country, leading the U.S. Attorney’s Office to prosecute this case. The investigation was conducted by the FBI with Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Hoffman handling prosecution duties.
Following his sentencing, Hudspeth was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
