From the Justice Department:
A federal jury today convicted a Lame Deer pastor of sexually abusing three children while they were staying at his home, on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
After a six-day trial that began on Dec. 4, the jury found Dean Alan Smith, 67, guilty of aggravated sexual abuse, abusive sexual contact by force and two counts of abusive sexual contact by force and of a child.
Smith faces a maximum of life in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years to a lifetime of supervised release. The jury acquitted Smith of one count of abusive sexual contact of a child.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The court set sentencing for April 10, 2024. Smith was remanded into custody pending further proceedings.
The government alleged in court documents and at trial that Smith was the pastor of a local church in Lame Deer, on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation, and that during his time on the reservation, he and his wife housed several foster children and temporarily hosted other children from the community.
In approximately 2021 and 2022, four girls, identified as Jane Does 1, 2, 3 and 4, disclosed being sexually abused by Smith between 2017 and 2020 when they were staying or living at Smithβs home.
The government alleged that Smith abused each of them, separately and in private, on multiple occasions. All of the victims were under the age of 12 at the time.
Read the full press release. Smith appeared on our running tally upon his arrest in December 2022.
Dean Alan Smith, 66, pastor of Morning Star Baptist Church, has been charged with 1 count of aggravated sexual abuse, 1 count of abusive sexual contact and 3 counts of abusive sexual contact by force and of a child.https://t.co/jqS1jiKqwf pic.twitter.com/xO54fBmehl
β πππ€π¬ (@antifaoperative) December 21, 2022