St. Francis Man Sentenced for Abusive Sexual Contact

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a St. Francis, South Dakota man convicted of abusive sexual contact was sentenced on February 10, 2014, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.

Joseph Blue Bird, age 26, was sentenced to 36 months of custody, five years of supervised release, $43.50 in restitution, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Blue Bird was also ordered to register as a sex offender.

Blue Bird was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 19, 2012. He pled guilty on November 19, 2013.

The conviction stems from an incident in May 2012, wherein the victim went to her neighbor’s house in Rosebud for a social gathering. Blue Bird was also present at the gathering. The group socialized throughout the evening, and eventually the victim told a resident of the house that she was tired and was going to lie down on the couch. The victim awoke to find that her pants were down and Blue Bird was on top of her, touching her genitalia. Blue Bird then fled the residence without saying anything further to the victim.

This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribal Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley prosecuted the case.

Blue Bird was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.