Eagle Butte Man Found Guilty of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child

PIERRE - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a jury has convicted Shane Bruguier, age 47, of Eagle Butte, South Dakota, of one count of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child following a three-day jury trial in federal district court in Pierre, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on April 16, 2026.

The charge carries a mandatory minimum penalty of 30 years and up to life in custody, a $250,000 fine, five years up to life of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.

Bruguier was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2025.

The evidence presented at trial established that between January 13, 2015, and November 29, 2015, the 8-year-old victim awoke to Bruguier rubbing her vagina after he had pulled down her underwear. The offense occurred in Eagle Butte, SD, within the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation.

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 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 and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Venhuizen prosecuted the case.

A presentence investigation was ordered. Sentencing has not yet been scheduled. Bruguier was placed in the custody of the U.S. Marshals pending sentencing.