Winner Man Charged with Failure to Register

United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Winner, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender.

Michael Lovejoy, Jr., age 35, was indicted on February 14, 2018.  He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on February 22, 2018, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 10 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, a mandatory minimum of at least 5 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.  Restitution may also be ordered.

The Indictment alleges that between May 28, 2017, and September 17, 2017, Lovejoy, a person required to register under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act, and a sex offender by reason of a conviction under state law, knowingly failed to register and update his registration.

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

The investigation is being conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Miller is prosecuting the case.   

Lovejoy was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial.  A trial date has not been set.