Red Lake Man Sentenced to Nearly 20 Years in Prison for Rape

A Red Lake man was sentenced to nearly 20 years in prison for aggravated sexual assault.

On April 20th, 2022, John Paul Sayers, 30, pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated sexual assault. As part of his guilty plea, Sayers also admitted to unlawful sexual contact with another person. He was sentenced in U.S. District Court by Judge Eric C. Tostrud yesterday to 239 months in prison followed by 10 years of supervised release.

According to court documents, on November 7th, 2020, Sayers stopped his truck as he saw the victim walking along the road. Sayers offered her a ride, but instead of bringing her to her desired location, he brought her to a camper located near the property of a hemp shop where Sayers was employed.

After the victim resisted Sayer’s sexual advances, he began to hit and strangle her, causing her to fall unconscious. Sayers then raped the victim. The victim left the camper after the assault, and began to walk 20 miles back into town.

This case was the result of an investigation by the FBI, the Red Lake Tribal Police Department, and the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.