Federal jury convicts Red Lake man of multiple counts of sexual abuse

Federal attorneys say a Red Lake man has been found guilty of two aggravated sexual abuse and two counts of sexual abuse following a five day jury trial.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, 38-year-old Descart Begay Jr. was convicted of the charges Friday.

A sentencing hearing hasn’t been scheduled as of this time.

Begay was charged for an incident on July 3, 2020, where prosecutors say he knowingly raped and sexually assaulted a female at her home.

Prosecutors didn’t immediately specify the victim’s age.

According to the Department of Justice, the victim was eventually able to “break free and escape.” Begay was arrested after an investigation done by the Red Lake Tribal Police Department and the FBI Headwaters Safe Trails Task Force.

As previously reported last week, 30-year-old John Paul Sayers – another Red Lake man who was convicted of raping a woman – was sentenced to nearly 20 years in federal prison. That incident happened in November 2020.