This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A former Ute tribal leader in Utah has been sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for sexually abusing a girl from the time she was 10 years old until she was 16.
A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney for Utah says Richard Jenks Jr., 58, of Fort Duchesne, was found guilty during a January trial of one count of aggravated sexual abuse of a child and two counts of a sexual abuse of a minor.
On Friday, U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups sentenced Jenks to prison, followed by supervised release for life, which includes sex-offender registration.
Jenks has served more than one term on the Ute Tribe Business Committee, representing members of the tribe's Uncompahgre Band.
The six-member panel exercises executive and legislative power on the Uintah-Ouray Indian Reservation in northeastern Utah.
His most recent term ended in April 2013.