Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell has announced the sentencing of Ethan Schnitker, a 41-year-old man from Mankato, Minnesota, for abusive sexual contact. Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange of the U.S. District Court sentenced Schnitker to two years in federal prison on June 30, 2025. Following his prison term, Schnitker will be subject to five years of supervised release and must pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Schnitker was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2023 and pleaded guilty on March 13, 2025. The charges relate to an incident that took place on October 3, 2021, in Gregory County, South Dakota, within the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. During this incident, Schnitker had non-consensual sexual contact with a minor while he was responsible for her care.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to address child sexual exploitation and abuse. The program involves collaboration between U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section to prosecute offenders and rescue victims.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Venhuizen led the prosecution.
Schnitker has been placed into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
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