Eagle Butte Man Sentenced to Over 10 Years in Federal Prison Following Conviction at Trial for Sexual Abuse

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced an Eagle Butte, South Dakota, man convicted of Sexual Abuse Without Consent and Sexual Abuse of a Minor. The sentencing took place on October 19, 2026.

Emanual Semon, age 24, was sentenced to 10 years and one month in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Semon was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2024. He was found guilty following a three-day jury trial in May 2026.

The convictions stem from an incident that occurred at a residence in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in July 2024. At trial, the evidence established that on the afternoon of July 3, 2024, Semon engaged in sexual activity with a juvenile female without her consent. Semon stopped when an adult entered the room and interrupted him.

This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.

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.

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