A Mission, South Dakota man has been sentenced to federal prison for failing to register as a sex offender. U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte sentenced Darrell Dean Ponca, also known as Darrell Dean Richards, age 67, to one year and one day in federal prison. Following his release, Ponca will serve five years of supervised release and must pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Ponca was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2025 and pleaded guilty on July 21, 2025. His conviction stems from an earlier offense; in November 1994, he was convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor. As a result of that conviction, Ponca is required by law to register as a sex offender and update his registration within three business days if he relocates or changes employment or student status.
According to court documents, Ponca failed to update his registration after being released from custody in December 2024 following a previous conviction for failure to register as a sex offender. He was arrested in Mission, South Dakota on January 31, 2025.
“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 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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.”
The U.S. Marshals Service investigated the case with prosecution led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Venhuizen.
Ponca was immediately remanded into custody following sentencing.
