Pine Ridge man Sentenced 120 Months for Having Sexual Contact with Children

      US Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a man charged with Abusive Sexual Contact of a Child was sentenced on January 25, 2011, by U.S. District Judge Richard H. Battey. Raymond Anthony Clifford, age 50, of Pine Ridge, was sentenced to 120 months' imprisonment and supervised release for the term of his natural life.

      Clifford was indicted for Abusive Sexual Contact of a Child and Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child by a federal grand jury on September 22, 2009. Between September 1, 2001, and July 31, 2006, Clifford knowingly engaged in and caused inappropriate sexual contact with a child who had not attained the age of 12. In January or February of 1999, Clifford engaged in sexual contact with a child who was approximately 7 or 8 years old. Clifford pled guilty on October 26, 2010, to a two count superseding information charging him with Abusive Sexual Contact.

      The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant US Attorneys Carolyn Olson and Eric Kelderman prosecuted the case. Clifford was immediately turned over to the custody of the US Marshal.

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