Box Elder Man Pleads Not Guilty to Aggravated Sexual Abuse

Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Box Elder, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for three counts of Aggravated Sexual Abuse and one count of Abusive Sexual Contact.

Ricardo Edward Franc Olandez, age 34, was indicted on June 17, 2021.  He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on June 28, 2021, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is lifetime imprisonment and/or a $250,000 fine, up to life of supervised release, and a $400 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.  Restitution may also be ordered.

The charges relate to Olandez forcing a juvenile female to engage in sexual acts with him between April 1, 2021, and May 14, 2021, on the Ellsworth Air Force Base.

The charges are merely accusations and Olandez is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

The investigation is being conducted by the Department of the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Sazama is prosecuting the case.

Olandez was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial.  A trial date has been set for September 7, 2021.