Little Eagle Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Federal Prison for Abusive Sexual Contact

ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a South Dakota man convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact. The sentencing took place on May 18, 2026.

Gaylan George Little Eagle, age 42, was sentenced to five years in federal prison, followed by ten years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Little Eagle was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2025.  He pleaded guilty on September 29, 2025.

On August 25, 2024, Little Eagle had sexual intercourse with an unconscious guest on a couch at a house party in McLaughlin, South Dakota, within the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation.  Another attendee caught Little Eagle in the act and stabbed him in the back as Little Eagle departed.  The victim had no idea what happened to her when she awoke.

This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal Court as opposed to State Court.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.

Little Eagle was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to serve his federal sentence.