Fort Yates Man Pleads Guilty to Sexual Assault Charge
| U.S. Attorney’s Office August 25, 2011 |
BISMARCK—United States Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on August 24, 2011, Patrick E. Zahn, 29, of Fort Yates, North Dakota, pleaded guilty in United States District Court to a charge of aggravated sexual abuse by force.
Zahn admitted to forcing a woman to participate in a sexual act on June 27, 2011, in Fort Yates.
The charge of aggravated sexual abuse by force carries a statutory maximum penalty of life in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.
The case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs - Standing Rock Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Sentencing for Zahn has been scheduled for November 14, 2011, in United States District Court in Bismarck, North Dakota, at 11:00 a.m.
Assistant United States Attorney Gary Delorme is prosecuting the case.