Wakpala Man Sentenced to 360 Months for Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Wakpala man charged with Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child was sentenced on July 30, 2012, by United States District Judge Charles B. Kornmann. Gerard Deshauquette, a/k/a Gerard Desheuquette, age 22, was sentenced to the mandatory minimum sentence, under the Adam Walsh Act, of 360 months in custody, 5 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Victim Assistance Fund.
 

Deshauquette was initially indicted for two counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child and one count of Aggravated Sexual Contact with a Child by a federal grand jury on February 14, 2012. He pled guilty to Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child on April 30, 2012. The conviction arose from an incident that occurred between November 2009 and November 2011, in Wakpala, in which Deshauquette sexually assaulted a child under the age of 12.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Standing Rock Agency. Assistant United States Attorney Mikal Hanson prosecuted the case.

Deshauquette was immediately turned over to the custody of the United States Marshal to begin serving his sentence.