Joseph Daniel Bahr, Jr. Sentenced in U.S. District Court
| U.S. Attorney’s Office October 24, 2013 |
The United States Attorney’s Office announced that during a federal court session in Billings, on October 23, 2013, before U.S. District Judge Joseph Daniel Bahr, Jr., a 42-year-old resident of Lame Deer and an enrolled member of the Northern Cheyenne Tribe, was sentenced to a term of:
- Prison: 70 months
- Special assessment: $100
- Supervised release: seven years
Bahr was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to attempted sexual abuse.
In an offer of proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Harper Suek, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
On June 23, 2011, the victim and a friend stayed overnight at Bahr’s home in Lame Deer, which is within the boundaries of the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. The victim, the friend, and Bahr were drinking that evening at Bahr’s house. Between 10:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m., the victim went to sleep in Bahr’s daughter's bedroom. Around 5:00 a.m. the next day, the victim woke up with Bahr on top of her. The victim told Bahr numerous times to stop and to get off her. Eventually, the victim was able to push Bahr off her, get dressed, and leave Bahr’s residence. Before leaving, the victim confronted Bahr about the sexual assault in the presence of the friend who was also staying at Bahr’s home. Bahr admitted to having sexual intercourse with the victim during this confrontation, and this admission was overheard by the friend.
The victim then left the residence and went home. She told her husband about the sexual assault, immediately reported the assault to the police, and then went to the hospital for a sexual assault examination.
Bahr was interviewed by law enforcement and despite the admission made by Bahr to the victim and overheard by the friend at Bahr’s house, when confronted by the victim, Bahr denied that he had sex with the victim.
Because there is no parole in the federal system, the “truth in sentencing” guidelines mandate that he will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, he does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for “good behavior.” However, this reduction will not exceed 15 percent of the overall sentence.
The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.