A 20-year-old man has been sentenced to six years in federal prison for the sexual abuse of an incapacitated teenager on the Yakama Reservation.
Darius Morning Star Speedis, 20, was sentenced on April 14 to 72 months in federal prison for sexual abuse, according to a news release. U.S. District Judge Mary K. Dimke also imposed 10 years of supervised release and required Speedis to register as a sex offender.
Speedis, who is a Yakama Nation citizen, in early November 2022 sexually assaulted a 16-year-old Native American woman who had become intoxicated and incapacitated, according to court documents and information at the sentencing hearing.
The assault occurred after several teenagers, including the victim and Speedis, drank alcohol, at least some of which Speedis provided, the news release said.
The case was in federal court because it involved enrolled Native Americans and occurred within the boundaries of the Yakama Reservation.
The victim had no recollection of the sexual assault, but Speedis recorded it and sent a video to her, according to the news release. That video was deleted and was not recovered by law enforcement, it said.
Speedis pleaded guilty in a plea agreement in January. His attorney had sought a 48-month sentence, considering his "young age, extreme remorse and the effect of severe intoxication at the time of the offense conduct," according to a sentencing memorandum. He apologized to the victim, the memorandum said.
