Red Lake Man Sentenced for Sexually Abusing a Woman

MINNEAPOLIS—Earlier today in federal court, a 30-year-old Red Lake man was sentenced for sexually abusing a woman while on the Red Lake Indian Reservation. United States District Court Chief Judge Michael J. Davis sentenced Douglas Wayne Tarnow to 480 months in prison on one count of aggravated sexual abuse. Tarnow was indicted on March 8, 2011 and was convicted on May 19, 2011.

According to the indictment and the evidence presented at trial, Tarnow caused the woman to engage in a sexual act by force. A law enforcement affidavit filed in the case states that Tarnow convinced the woman to meet him at his aunt’s residence on January 30, 2011. At 10:30 p.m., the woman arrived, and she and Tarnow began arguing. During the course of that argument, Tarnow grabbed the woman, threw her to the ground, and assaulted her. He then forced her to have sex with him.

This case was the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Red Lake Tribal Police Department, with assistance from the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office.

It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Clifford B. Wardlaw.

Because the Red Lake Indian Reservation is a federal-jurisdiction reservation, some of the crimes that occur there are investigated by the FBI in conjunction with the Red Lake Tribal Police Department. Those cases are prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The U.S. Justice Department is taking steps to increase engagement, coordination, and action relative to public safety in tribal communities, including the creation of the Violence Against Women Federal and Tribal Prosecution Task Force. This task force explores current issues raised by professionals in the field and recommends “best practices” in prosecution strategies involving domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

Violence against American Indian women occurs at epidemic rates. In 2005, Congress reported that one in three American Indian women is raped during her lifetime, and American Indian women are nearly three times more likely to be battered during their lives as Caucasian women.