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
A Bullhead, South Dakota man has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for aggravated sexual abuse of a minor and failure to register as a sex offender. U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann delivered the sentence to Travis Anthony Weasel, 45, on August 4, 2025.
Weasel will also serve five years of supervised release and must pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2023 and pleaded guilty on May 19, 2025.
Weasel had previously been convicted in 2011 for sexual abuse of an incapacitated person after an incident at a house party in Bullhead, South Dakota. Following his release from prison in May 2021 for that offense, he stopped registering as a sex offender until his arrest in February 2024.
The most recent crime occurred on January 26, 2023, when Weasel stayed at the home of a childhood friend in McIntosh, located within the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation. According to court documents, Weasel gave adulterated alcohol to his friend and then pressured the friend's 15-year-old daughter into drinking it as well. After she lost consciousness, Weasel sexually assaulted her. When she tried to escape and called for help, he threatened her and her family with violence before continuing the assault. The girl managed to flee the home later that night.
“Protecting children from sexual abuse is amongst our highest priorities at the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell. “When we can prosecute these heinous crimes at the federal level, we are able to seek decades-long sentences without the possibility of parole, thereby achieving the justice these victims deserve and safeguarding our communities from sex offenders for years to come.”
Federal prosecution was required under the Major Crimes Act because this violent crime occurred within Indian country.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse by coordinating efforts among federal, state, and local agencies (https://www.justice.gov/psc).
The investigation involved multiple agencies including the FBI, Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services, and United States Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.
Weasel was immediately remanded into custody following sentencing.
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