Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced Louis James Swallow, a resident of Kyle, South Dakota, to 20 years in federal prison for sexual abuse. The sentencing occurred on May 1, 2025.
Swallow, aged 22, will also serve five years of supervised release and pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. He is required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
In February 2024, Swallow was indicted by a federal grand jury for Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor and Abusive Sexual Contact. He entered a guilty plea on February 10, 2025.
The charges stemmed from an incident involving the forcible sexual assault of a 13-year-old victim who reported that Swallow followed her home, assaulted her physically, and raped her. During sentencing, Judge Schreier highlighted Swallow's "frightening conduct" and referenced previous charges against him in Pennington County for raping and strangling his girlfriend in 2020. The judge acknowledged the trauma inflicted on the young victim by Swallow's actions.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted this case under the Major Crimes Act due to its occurrence in Indian Country where certain violent crimes are mandated to be tried in Federal court rather than State court.
The FBI conducted the investigation with Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth handling prosecution duties.
Following sentencing, Swallow was placed into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
