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 Sisseton, South Dakota man has been sentenced to nearly 30 years in federal prison after pleading guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon and sexual abuse of a minor. The sentencing took place on August 26, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann.
Chauncey Allen White, 31, received two years and eight months in prison for the assault charge, along with three years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. On the sexual abuse of a minor charge, he was sentenced to 26 years and eight months in prison, five years of supervised release, and a $200 special assessment. The sentences are consecutive, totaling 29 years and four months. Upon his release from prison, White will be required to register as a sex offender.
White was indicted by federal grand juries for the assault charge in March 2024 and for sexual abuse of a minor in July 2024. He pleaded guilty to the assault charge on November 18, 2024, and to the sexual abuse charge on June 9, 2025.
The assault conviction is related to an incident on February 28, 2023. According to court records, White assaulted his romantic partner with a knife while she was attempting to end their relationship. The incident occurred in her vehicle at her workplace parking lot; White held a knife against her body and threatened her life. She managed to escape without injury while White caused property damage by stabbing the center console of her car.
The sexual abuse conviction stems from an incident in 2014 at White’s family home on the Lake Traverse Reservation. At that time, White provided alcohol to two teenage girls who became intoxicated and lost consciousness. He then sexually assaulted both victims before they regained consciousness.
The FBI and Sisseton Wahpeton Law Enforcement investigated these cases. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Ebert-Webb prosecuted them.
"This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in federal court as opposed to State court."
The case is part of Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local agencies (https://www.justice.gov/psc).
White was immediately remanded into custody following sentencing.
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