Robert Scheaffer, Jr. Sentenced for Sexually Assaulting Foster Daughter

The United States Attorney’s Office announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls on January 17, 2014, before U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris, Robert James Scheaffer, Jr., 49, of the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation, was sentenced to a term of 34 months’ imprisonment, five years’ supervised release, and a special assessment of $100.

Scheaffer was sentenced in connection with his October 21, 2013 guilty plea to sexual abuse of a minor. In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Betley, the government stated it would have proved that on July 4, 2008, the victim was 14 years old and the defendant was 44 years old. At that time, the victim lived with the defendant as a foster child on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation. The defendant is an Indian person and an enrolled member of the Fort Belknap Tribes, which is a federally recognized tribe.

According to the victim, on that date, the defendant yelled at her to come out to the kitchen. When the victim’s back was turned to the defendant, he came up behind her and began to put his hands all over her body. The defendant undid the victim’s jeans, pulled them down, and felt her vaginal area with his hands. He then inserted his fingers into her vagina. The victim was scared, cried, and continually told the defendant to stop. Eventually, the victim was able to return to her bedroom. The defendant spoke with the FBI and admitted that he put his hand inside the victim’s underwear and fondled her vagina for approximately two minutes.