COEUR D’ALENE – Jason Ray Sijohn, 45, of Plummer, was sentenced today to 24 months in prison for failing to register as a sex offender, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered Sijohn to serve five years of supervised release following his prison term and perform 80 hours of community service. Sijohn pleaded guilty to the charge in March 2012.

According to court documents, Sijohn was found guilty of sexual abuse in 1999 in U.S. District Court in Idaho, and was sentenced to 84 months in prison. Following his release from prison in 2005, Sijohn registered as a sex offender as required by the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA). In 2008, Sijohn failed to comply with registration requirements and was sentenced in 2009 in Idaho state court to five years of probation. In April 2011, authorities learned that Sijohn moved without providing his current address to probation officials. According to the plea agreement, between April and July 12, 2011, the date of his arrest, Sijohn did not have contact with his probation officer and was not living at his address in Plummer. In August 2011, Sijohn admitted in state court that he had moved without notifying authorities.

The case was investigated by U.S. Marshals Service.

The Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA) was passed by Congress in 2006. The act requires sex offenders to register and keep their registration current in each jurisdiction where they reside. Violations of SORNA can be prosecuted in federal court.