South Dakota man sentenced to federal prison for sexually assaulting Pine Ridge teen
Oglala Sioux Tribe Police started the investigation in 2025 after reports of lewd social media messages and abuse at man’s home
A 31-year-old man from Porcupine, South Dakota, was sentenced two years and nine months in federal prison for sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.
On Sept. 14, U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler also ordered five years of supervised release for Griffin Cross after he is released from jail. Cross will also have to register as a sex offender.
The case was investigated under the Major Crimes Act, allowing for federal charges over a state prosecution. According to a release this week from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Dakota, the Oglala Sioux Tribe Public Safety Department received a report in November 2025 that Cross had assaulted the teenager. According to the release, Cross sent the girl nude pictures over social media and then brought her to his home, where he sexually abused her.
On June 9, 2026, Cross entered a guilty plea for the sexual abuse of a minor.
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