Sisseton Man Charged with Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child Appears in Federal Court

United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Sisseton, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for aggravated sexual abuse of a child and for sexual abuse.

Joel Michael Max, age 29, was indicted on September 5, 2018.  He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge William Gerdes on October 15, 2018, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.

According to the Indictment, between September 2016 and June 2018, in Roberts County, South Dakota, Max engaged in and attempted to engage in sexual acts with a child.  The maximum penalties upon conviction for each count are as follows: life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, or both; a mandatory minimum term of five (5) years, up to life, of supervised release; $100 special assessment for victim/witness fund; $5,000 assessment to the domestic trafficking fund; and restitution may be ordered.

The charges are merely accusations and Max is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

The investigation is being conducted by the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Sioux Tribe’s Law Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy R. Jehangiri is prosecuting the case.   

Max was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.  A trial date has been set for December 18, 2018.