Manderson Man Sentenced to 1 Year and a Day in Federal Prison for Failing to Register as a Sex Offender

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier sentenced a Manderson, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.  The sentencing took place on January 2, 2026.

Victor Afraid Of Hawk, age 41, was sentenced to 12 months and 1 day in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Afraid Of Hawk was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2025.  He pleaded guilty on September 29, 2025.

Based upon his 2006 federal conviction for Abusive Sexual Contact, Afraid Of Hawk is required to register as a sex offender for life.  He last updated his address on September 26, 2024, at Manderson.  He then began living in Rapid City in November 2024.  Afraid of Hawk had over 175 contacts with the Rapid City Police between November 2024 and July 2025 but never updated his address.  Afraid Of Hawk was aware of his obligations to register and knowingly failed to do so.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

The U.S. Marshals Service investigated the case.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth handled the prosecution.

Afraid Of Hawk was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.