In November, South Dakota GOP candidate Joel Koskan's family member stepped forward to say he groomed and raped her for years. The victim is his adoptive daughter. Koskan ran unsuccessfully for the state Senate in 2022, and just days before the election, he was arrested on charges relating to child abuse. He pleaded guilty to two counts of felony incest on Tuesday morning.
As we noted in November, contraception was rarely used, Koskan, who describes himself as a Christian, is against abortion exceptions for rape and incest. The grooming of his daughter began when she was 12 years old. Koskan has five children.
Via the Argus Leader:
He was sentenced in a Hughes County courtroom to 10 years in the South Dakota State Penitentiary.
"This is the first part of the healing process," Judge Margo Northrup said during the hearing.
Koskan, 44, originally faced felony child abuse charges for acts that allegedly took place between October 2014 and October 2016, according to court documents filed in November. He exposed his victim, a now 20-year-old woman, to "sexual grooming behaviors."
In a probable cause statement reviewed by the Argus Leader prior to its sealing in November, the victim was Koskan's family member and had been allegedly sexually abused by Koskan since the time she was a child. Koskan also allegedly made references to GPS tracking and video monitoring the victim's activities.
"You promised you'd never do this," Koskan texted his victim before she stepped forward. "I'm begging you; you don't want to do this."
According to the plea deal, after pleading guilty to the two counts of felony incest, he will have to pay a $10,000 fine for each count, pay court fees, and provide restitution for the victim.
