Mission Man Sentenced for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Mission, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on April 15, 2024.

Gary Drum, age 37, was sentenced to 13 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Drum was indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender by a federal grand jury in December of 2023. He pleaded guilty on February 29, 2024.

On June 22, 2015, Drum was convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact in U.S. District Court, District of Montana. As a result of this conviction, Drum is required to comply with the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act. In 2022, Drum was ordered to serve a jail sentence after a conviction in Fort Peck Tribal Court. Pursuant to a contract between the Fort Peck Sioux and Asiniboine Tribe and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, Drum served his sentence at the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Adult Corrections Facility. Drum remained in the area after his release, initially residing at a residence in the North Antelope Community. On at least two separate occasions, Drum was arrested for tribal charges and served additional time in custody. Drum was last released from custody on October 31, 2023, and failed to update his address with the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Sex Offender Registration Office within three business days.

This case was 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 U.S. Marshals Service and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Abby Roesler prosecuted the case.

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