Man sentenced to 24 years in federal prison for sexual abuse of a child under 12

MARQUETTE — A Wilson, Michigan man was sentenced on Tuesday on a sexual abuse charge. Forty year-old Patrick Roy Wandahsega was sentenced to 24 years (288 months) in prison for engaging in sexual contact with a child under the age of 12.

The charge arose from an incident in December of 2015, in which Wandahsega sexually abused a six year-old child in his home on the Hannahville reservation. Hannahville law enforcement became aware of the incident when the victim reported the abuse to relatives, and later a physician.

After an extensive investigation, a federal grand jury indicted Wandahsega on two counts — aggravated sexual abuse of a child and abusive sexual contact involving young children. On October 27th, 2017, after a four-day trial, the jury found Wandahsega guilty of the second charge. U.S. District Court Judge Paul L. Maloney rendered the sentence.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from sexual exploitation and abuse. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, county and tribal prosecutor’s offices, the Internet Crimes Against Children task force, federal, state, tribal and local law enforcement are working closely together to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children.

The partners in Project Safe Childhood work to educate local communities about the dangers of child exploitation and to teach children how to protect themselves. For more information, click HERE.

Individuals with information or concerns about possible child exploitation should contact local law enforcement officials. The Hannaville Tribal Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Hannah N. Bobee and Paul D. Lochner prosecuted the case.