A man from Porcupine, South Dakota, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for sexual abuse of a minor. The sentence was delivered by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier on May 30, 2025.
Chandler New Holy, aged 28, will also undergo five years of supervised release and pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
The case against New Holy began with an indictment by a federal grand jury in February 2024. He entered a guilty plea on January 17, 2025.
New Holy’s conviction stems from his involvement in a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl. They communicated via social media and initially misrepresented their ages to each other; the girl claimed she was 16 while New Holy stated he was only 17 when he was actually 25. The situation escalated after the girl disclosed her true age of 14 but the relationship continued secretly until law enforcement intervened following her being reported missing by family members.
“This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court,” said United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, initiated by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse through coordinated efforts among federal, state, and local agencies.
The FBI led the investigation into this case with Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen handling prosecution duties.
Following sentencing, Chandler New Holy was placed under custody of the U.S. Marshals Service immediately.
