PIERRE – United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a man from Fort Thompson, South Dakota, convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on November 25, 2025.
Michael Lovejoy, Jr., age 43, was sentenced to time served in custody through January 2, 2026, equal to approximately ten months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Lovejoy was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2025. He pleaded guilty on August 14, 2025.
Lovejoy was convicted of Third Degree Rape in Pennington County, South Dakota, in August 2005. As a result of his conviction, he is required to register as a sex offender and update his registration within three business days of relocation or change in employment or student status. In November 2024, Lovejoy began a period of supervised release, and he updated his sex offender registration to reflect that he was residing at a residence in Fort Thompson. Lovejoy did not thereafter reside at the residence. An arrest warrant was subsequently issued, and on March 13, 2025, Lovejoy was arrested in Fort Thompson.
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 Unit 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.
This case was investigated by the United States Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kimberly Zachrison prosecuted the case.
Lovejoy was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.