Mission Man Sentenced for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender

United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that a Mission, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender was sentenced on June 28, 2017, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.

Benjamen T. Flute, a/k/a Benjamin T. Flute, age 38, was sentenced to 18 months in custody, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

Flute was indicted by a federal grand jury on January 19, 2017. He pled guilty on April 11, 2017.

Flute was convicted of Second-Degree Rape in Caddo County, Oklahoma, in December 2007. As a result of this conviction, he is required to register as a sex offender and to update his registration within three business days of relocation or changing employment. In November 2016, Flute moved to Mission, South Dakota, but did not update his registration. He was arrested by Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services on December 15, 2016, and charged with failure to register as a sex offender in Rosebud Sioux Tribal Court. He subsequently bonded out of jail, but did not update his registration.

This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.

Flute was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.