McLaughlin Man Sentenced to Over 31 Years in Federal Prison for Sexually Abusing a Three-Year-Old Child

ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a man from McLaughlin, South Dakota, convicted of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child. The sentencing took place on August 18, 2025.

Kurtis Charles Cross, age 67, was sentenced to 31 years and eight months in federal prison and five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Cross was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2024. He pleaded guilty on June 3, 2025.

In late 2023, Cross was staying at a home in McLaughlin, South Dakota, within the Standing Rock Reservation. Several young children lived in the house. On August 4, 2024, Cross was left home alone with a three-year-old-girl for around 20 minutes. When an adult household member came home, she sensed something was wrong. She crept to Cross' bedroom and saw the three-year-old sitting in a chair, terrified and clutching her teddy bear. With his hand, Cross had forced the child's mouth open and forced her to perform oral sex on him. The household member yanked the girl away and promptly reported the incident to the police.

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

This case was also 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 FBI, the Bureau of Indian Affairs - Office of Justice Services, and the Corson County Sheriff's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.

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