Lake Andes Man Convicted of Multiple Rapes

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Lake Andes man was convicted yesterday of four felonies by a federal jury at a trial held in Sioux Falls this week. James Bruguier, a/k/a James Bruguier, Jr., 25, was found guilty yesterday of aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse of a minor, and first degree burglary for separate sexual assaults on an adult and two teenagers from the Yankton reservation. The testimony at trial this week revealed that two of the sexual attacks perpetrated by Bruguier occurred in the homes of the victims. Bruguier was originally indicted in February 2011 by a federal grand jury, and then re-indicted on two other occasions as more victims were discovered. The trial disclosed separate acts of sexual abuse on separate victims in 2004-2005, 2010, and 2011.

The maximum penalty on the convictions for aggravated sexual abuse is life imprisonment and up to life on supervised release. The maximum penalty on the sexual abuse of a minor charge is 15 years of imprisonment, and the burglary charge carries a maximum penalty of 25 years of imprisonment. All charges carry a maximum fine of $250,000.

This case was investigated by the FBI and Yankton Sioux Tribal Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas J. Wright prosecuted the case.

Bruguier, who has been held without bail since his federal arrest, was immediately returned to the custody of the U.S. Marshal.