Federal Jury Convicts Minneapolis Man for Committing Sexual Abuse Against a Child

MINNEAPOLIS—Yesterday in Fergus Falls, a federal jury found a 31-year-old Minneapolis man guilty of committing aggravated sexual abuse against a child. Following a two-day trial, the jury convicted Joseph Valerian Parshall on two counts of aggravated sexual abuse against a child under the age of 12. Parshall was indicted on September 21, 2011.

According to the indictment and evidence presented at trial, Parshall committed two sexual acts against the child between February 1 and July 27, 2011. A law enforcement affidavit filed in the case states that on July 27, the Red Lake Tribal Police Department was informed of the abuse. The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Fugitive Task Force arrested Parshall on August 31, 2011, in Minneapolis.

For his crimes, Parshall faces a potential maximum penalty of life in prison on each count, with a mandatory minimum penalty of 30 years. United States District Court Judge John R. Tunheim will determine his sentence at a future hearing. This case is the result of an investigation by the Red Lake Tribal Police Department and the FBI. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Clifford B. Wardlaw.

Because the Red Lake Indian Reservation is a federal jurisdiction reservation, some of the crimes that occur there are investigated by the FBI in conjunction with the Red Lake Tribal Police Department. Those cases are prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.