Sioux Falls Man Charged with Failure to Register as a Sex Offender

Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.

Cephas Joseph Wood, age 37, was indicted on December 7, 2021.  He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy on December 9, 2021, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, life of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.  Restitution may also be ordered.

The Indictment alleges that between September 17, 2021, and November 13, 2021, Wood, a person required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, and a sex offender by reason of a conviction under Federal Law, failed to register and update his registration. 

The charge is merely an accusation and Wood is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper is prosecuting the case.   

Wood was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial, which has been set for February 15, 2022.