A man who escaped custody and failed to register as a sex offender pled guilty on September 10, 2026, in federal court in Sioux City.Duane Levering, age 41, from Sioux City, Iowa, was convicted of one count of escape from custody and one count of failure to register as a sex offender. In 2005 Levering was previously convicted of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor in the United States District Court for Nebraska. Based on this conviction, Levering is required to register as required under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.At the plea hearing, evidence showed that on December 23, 2025, Levering began confinement following his conviction for failure to register as a sex offender. On April 23, 2026, the U.S. Marshals Service received a Notice of Escaped Federal Prisoner for Levering from the Bureau of Prisons stating Levering failed to return to Dismas Charities Residential Reentry Center from his reported employment site. Levering admitted he willingly left the center and failed to register his new residence with the sex offender registry while he was on the run. Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Levering remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. Levering faces a possible maximum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and at least five years of supervised release following any imprisonment.The case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kraig R. Hamit. Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 26-4019. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice