Letcher Man Pleads Guilty to Concealing Person from Arrest

U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Theodore J. Nelson, Jr., a/k/a Ted Nelson, age 64, of Letcher, South Dakota, appeared before U.S. District Judge Lawrence L. Piersol on August 22, 2011, and pled guilty to one count of an indictment that charged him with concealing person from arrest. The maximum penalty upon conviction is five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.

As part of his plea, Nelson admitted that he harbored and concealed Thomas R. Kelley. Kelley was convicted of 22 separate federal crimes, then failed to appear at his August 23, 2010, sentencing hearing. Kelley was ultimately found in Wood Lake, Minnesota, on December 22, 2010. Kelley was sentenced to 70 months in prison on July 26, 2011.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, United States Marshals Service, and the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Koliner.

A presentence investigation was ordered, and a sentencing date was set for November 7, 2011. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending sentencing.