U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell | U.S. Department of Justice
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell has announced the sentencing of Sinte White Butterfly, a 25-year-old man from Pine Ridge, South Dakota. U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler sentenced White Butterfly to 10 years in federal prison for Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury. This sentence will be followed by five years of supervised release, and he is required to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
White Butterfly was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2024 and pleaded guilty on October 29, 2024. The charges stemmed from an incident in August 2024 where he assaulted his infant daughter, causing multiple fractures and brain damage.
Judge Theeler emphasized that the victim should have been able to rely on White Butterfly for protection but instead suffered severe injuries due to his actions while intoxicated. "He broke both of her legs, both of her arms, fractured nearly all of her ribs, and caused a skull fracture and a brain bleed," Judge Theeler stated during sentencing. She highlighted the need for community protection given White Butterfly's violent history.
The case was prosecuted under the Major Crimes Act, which requires certain violent crimes occurring in Indian Country to be tried in federal court rather than state court. The investigation was conducted by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division with Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth handling prosecution.
Following sentencing, White Butterfly was remanded into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
