Last updated on 2023-04-07
You want to talk about a politically motivated prosecutor? How about that time the state’s Republican attorney general’s office intervened in a case where a Republican candidate for Senate, Joel Koskan, had been raping his adopted Indian daughter for years and offered the rapist a deal that would have let him keep custody of his other kids, stay out of prison, and not register as a sex offender? We’ve seen all sorts of perverts who committed similar or less grave sex crimes get much stiffer sentences.
The latest example of non-Republican sex criminals getting real punishment comes from U.S. District Court in Rapid City, where Judge Jeffrey VIken gave a 24-year-old Indian who pled guilty to abusive sexual contact with a 14-year-old six months in prison and five years of supervised release:
Duane Long Pumpkin was 21 at the time of the offense, according to a factual basis statement he signed when he pleaded guilty on Nov. 16, 2022. He was arrested in Lexington, Nebraska in March of last year.
Abusive sexual contact is sexual contact with someone who is in the custody of the perpetrator.
Long Pumpkin admitted to having sexual contact with the girl between February and August 2021. On one occasion, he had sexual contact with her when she was staying with him and considered in his custody. At that time, her legal guardian was asking for law enforcement’s help locating her [Shalom Bear Gee, “Man Sentenced to 6 Months for Sexually Abusing 14-Year-Old,” Rapid City Journal, 2023.04.04].
Not helping Long Pumpkin’s situation was his violation of pretrial release conditions: he skipped meetings with his pretrial services officer, lied to that officer about his work status, didn’t stay at his stepmom’s house as required by his release agreement, and did meth.
Joel Koskan started sexually abusing his adopted Indian daughter before she was 14. He committed his crimes over a longer period of time. Yet South Dakota’s Republican prosecutors were going to let him off with less punishment than Long Pumpkin.
Luckily, we have checks and balances. The judiciary can reject motions from seemingly politically motivated prosecutors, and Circuit Court Judge Margo Northrup rejected the state’s plea deal. Perhaps that rejection, in addition to the abundant examples of comparable and lesser sex crimes drawing far greater punishment, have made South Dakota’s Republican prosecutors realize they can’t get by with doing a favor for this particular member of their skeezy ranks.
But Cory, she was his adopted daughter. That’s something. She could have locked the door, too. That’s what her adopted mother said. It’s a family thing. Why inject religion into this?
Is Joel Koskan even well enough to stand trial? How can anyone rape a child for years and not become a psychopath?
Koskan used GPS tracking via her phone and vehicle and learned through her location that she had gone to the sheriff’s office to speak about the reported abuse, according to the documents.
“You promised you’d never do this,” Koskan texted her on May 6. “I’m begging you, you don’t want to do this.”
Other text message exchanges between the victim and the Republican appeared to confirm her story, investigators said.
Sure sounds like a guilty party. But magats always tend to blame the victim and they crawl out of the woodwork to defend the accused.
There is no truth to scurrilous rumours that I am the platypus in question in this story.
https://www.rawstory.com/man-charged-after-taking-platypus-on-train-ride-shopping-trip/
I shop by myself, thank you very much. epo
Knowing the right wing and their ammosexual love for guns (especially the extremists), and living in a rural area such as SD where there is a higher percentage of extremism…. it’s usually just best to cease communication with them.
The US is a madhouse to much of the rest of the world when it comes to this country doing nothing about its gun problem.
https://apnews.com/article/arrests-cdb6e1763c98489a1a86f9caee512084
I meant to put this short in the above about the US being ‘insaner than most’ with their guns. This pretty much says it all.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rpgGUEGDAUQ
SDCL 25-1-6. Incestuous marriages void.
Marriages between parents and children, ancestors and descendants of every degree, and between brothers and sisters of the half as well as the whole blood, and between uncles and nieces, or aunts and nephews, and between cousins of the half as well as of the whole blood, are null and void from the beginning, whether the relationship is legitimate or illegitimate. The relationships provided for in this section include such relationships that arise through adoption.
Source: SDC 1939, § 14.0106 (1); SL 1994, ch 165, §
If “The relationships provided for in this section include such relationships that arise through adoption” are illegal, how much more so when the matter is not a marriage but rape through adoption?
Some of us raised a lot of protest of the ridiculous proposed plea deal and fortunately, the Judge ruled in agreement with our position. My question is this: who in he AG’s office agreed to this plea? I would also ask if the DCI reports to the AG. Anyone able to tell me? The reason I ask is because we (plural) presented evidence to the DCI and it remains to be seen if that evidence will be reflected in the new set of charges for Joel Koskan on April 11th. I suggest the new set of charges should reflect child molestation and rape, stalking, bribery, fraud, and witness intimidation. That should be a good start. Please add to the proposed list as you see fit.
The AG is the highest ranking law enforcement officer in the state and the DCI does indeed report to the AG.
Thank, Nick. Well, that may be bad news for people in our camp. The very compelling and condemning evidence we gave to the DCI may well get buried to appease the AG. If all of our evidence is not presented in court by the DCI, I will call it a coverup. And I will publicize every detail. On my word.
As you should Michelle. There are many examples of similar behavior getting extensive punishment including long prison sentences. If Joel Koskan gets off lightly the immediate, understandable and probably correct reaction is that a Republican insider and favorite son of a powerful political family (his father was a long time state legislator) was given breaks not available to the average person because of political connections.
Tennessee is pushing a common law marriage bill, with zero age restrictions, to fight back against LGBTQ folks. This will legalize child marriages.
https://www.actionnews5.com/2022/04/06/proposed-legislation-could-legalize-child-marriage-tennessee/
Likely this is a model bill for all other magat states that want to keep it in the family.
Seriously, magats need to raise the age of consent to over a hundred years old, for everyone’s sake.
This case needs more intense coverage by the South Dakota press. Most SD citizens despite political affiliation would be outraged at the facts, and the outcry would make the matter impossible to cover up.
…add to that greater attention by the national press
I agree this case needs more attention, the lack of coverage by SD media is curious and sad.
I have the ear of a major nationwide commentator, and he and I have met to discuss this case, and the lack of publicity for it within South Dakota. When I got harassed on Twitter for calling for more serious charges against Joel Koskan, hi received threats and Joel Koskan even called my local police to try to get me in trouble for publicizing his PPP loans. There is so much more to the story than most people know. What should disturb people hugely is that Kristi Noem has on her website that Joel Koskan‘s parents are two of her best friends. Furthermore, a special someone posed as a Democratic legislator in South Dakota and sent me fake DM‘s Urging me to stop calling for Joel Koskan to receive more serious charges. While this was going on, I was made aware of other victims of Joel Koskan from the past, including a restraining order, gained by a mother and her young daughter, about 10 years ago against Joel Koskan. I gave all this information to the DCI. Our Special Agent, abruptly resigned, and a new one took over ostensibly. My gut feeling is, they are burying this. But, between me, and this nationwide commentator, there is no way the story is getting buried. It is about nepotism and corruption at the highest levels and collusion by local media to not cover this story. I am so looking forward to the truth coming out. Joel Koskan goes to court next on Tuesday, April 11. Tick tock says the clock.
30 years ago I served in the legislature with Joel’s father John Koskan. John was a very conservative legislator, I got along with him OK. They were of some evangelical Christian denomination and home schooled the kids. During the legislative session “home schooling” meant letting the kids roam throughout the SD Capitol Building with little or no apparent formal supervision.
It doesn’t surprise me that Noem is especially close to the family. They are all members of the evangelical wing of the Republican Party. It also doesn’t surprise me that there would be efforts made to coverup the crimes of one of the brethren.
Ms. Kalehzan- Yes!! I see you. And I love it. No woman or child should fight alone.
Koskan gets 10 years in prison? Will he keep perks from being in gov’t?