McLaughlin Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Abusive Sexual Contact

ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a man from McLaughlin, South Dakota, convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact. The sentencing took place on September 8, 2025.

Malachi Adam Marcus Howard, age 22, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, followed by ten years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Howard was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2024. He pleaded guilty on June 16, 2025.

The conviction stems from conduct that occurred between November 1, 2023, and March 19, 2024, when Howard caused a 10-year-old child to engage in sexual activity. The conduct occurred in Corson County, South Dakota, within the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation.

This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, authorizes certain crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian country to be prosecuted in federal court as opposed to State court.

This case was also brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the DOJ's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Valley City (ND) Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.

Howard was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.