Evergreen Reporter

United States Attorney Mac Schneider announced that Wendell James Snell, 42, from Fort Totten, North Dakota, has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison. Snell was convicted on November 21, 2024, after pleading guilty to five counts of abusive sexual contact with a child. Chief Judge Peter D. Welte of the United States District Court for the District of North Dakota imposed six-year sentences for each count, which will run consecutively.

The charges stem from Snell's abuse of three children under the age of 12 between 2011 and 2014 on the Spirit Lake Reservation. After serving his sentence, Snell will face a lifetime of supervised release with conditions including no contact with minors.

"This serious sentence is seriously appropriate considering the defendant’s unforgivable abuse of multiple children," Schneider stated. "We hope it will provide some space for the victims to heal and deter this kind of abhorrent behavior in the future. Our career prosecutors and FBI partners are committed to protecting kids in Indian country and wherever we have jurisdiction, and as this case shows we will firmly hold abusers to account in federal court."

Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis remarked on the severity of Snell's actions: "The depravity of Snell's actions is reflected in today's sentencing. When the most vulnerable of our citizens – our children – are victimized, the FBI will do everything in our power to hold the perpetrators accountable and to protect others from harm."

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and prosecuted by Assistant US Attorney Lori H. Conroy.