Skip to main content
Press Release

Pierre Man Sentenced for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of South Dakota

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Pierre, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on August 14, 2023.

Benjamin Loafer, age 63, was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Loafer was indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender by a federal grand jury in January of 2023. He pleaded guilty on May 18, 2023.

Loafer was convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact in U.S. District Court, District of South Dakota, in 2008. As a result of this conviction, Loafer is required to register biannually and within three business days of a change in residence, employment, or education status. In February of 2022, Loafer completed a registration with the Pierre Police Department. At that time, Loafer advised the registering official that he would be relocating to Kyle, South Dakota. In June of 2022, it was discovered that Loafer did not complete an updated registration. Investigation revealed that Loafer resided in Kyle for approximately two months before returning to Pierre. Loafer failed to complete an updated registration after his changes in residence. Loafer was located in Pierre on August 12, 2022.   

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.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service, the Pierre Police Department, and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Abby Roesler prosecuted the case.

Peneaux was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Updated August 16, 2023

Topic
Project Safe Childhood