United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that a McLaughlin, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault by Striking, Beating, and Wounding was sentenced on June 6, 2017, by U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann.
George Little Eagle, Jr., age 33, was sentenced to 8 months and 1 week in custody, followed by 1 year of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $25.
Little Eagle was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 15, 2017. He pled guilty on May 18, 2017.
The conviction stems from an incident on Feb. 13, 2017, when Little Eagle and his significant other, the victim, were at a residence in Little Eagle visiting friends. A protracted argument began between the two when the defendant began to accuse the victim of “being with" his friends. This upset the victim and she attempted to leave, but Little Eagle grabbed her purse and continued arguing with her. The victim left to go sit in her car, which caused Little Eagle to become more upset as he thought she was going to leave him in Little Eagle. The argument continued, with Little Eagle eventually striking the victim, causing a bruise to form under her left eye.
This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Standing Rock Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley prosecuted the case.
Little Eagle was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
