A Rapid City man has been sentenced to federal prison for failing to register as a sex offender, according to an announcement from United States Attorney Ron Parsons. U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler handed down the sentence on January 5, 2026.
Jose Eduardo Rodriguez, age 50, received a sentence of one year and nine months in federal prison. After his release, he will be subject to five years of supervised release and must pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Rodriguez was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2025 and pleaded guilty on October 1, 2025.
Rodriguez had previously been convicted of Fourth Degree Rape in Butte County, South Dakota, in 1998. This conviction required him to register as a sex offender and update his registration within three business days when relocating or changing employment or student status. In October 2023, while under supervised release in Rapid City, Rodriguez updated his registration as required. However, when he moved from South Dakota to Texas in February 2024, he did not update his sex offender registration. An arrest warrant was issued following this violation, and Rodriguez was arrested in Rapid City on April 29, 2025.
“This case was brought as a 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. Attorney’s 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.”
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Marshals Service. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
Following sentencing Rodriguez was immediately remanded into custody.
