Pierre Man Sentenced for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender

PIERRE - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Pierre, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on September 14, 2026. 

Duane Long Pumpkin, age 27, was sentenced to eight 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.

Long Pumpkin was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2025. He pleaded guilty on June 11, 2026. 

Long Pumpkin was convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact in U.S. District Court in 2023. Consequently, he is required to register as a sex offender and update his registration within three business days of relocation or changing employment or student status.  In October 2024, Long Pumpkin updated his sex offender registration to reflect that he was residing in Allen, South Dakota.  He relocated to Pierre in December 2024, but he did not update his sex offender registration.  Long Pumpkin was arrested in Pierre on February 14, 2025.

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 and the Pierre Police Department. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.

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