Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced the sentencing of two men from St. Francis, South Dakota, for charges related to arson and burglary. U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte delivered the sentences.
Michael Valandra, Jr., 28, and Donald Aquallo, Jr., 26, were indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2024. Valandra pleaded guilty to arson on July 24, 2024, and was sentenced on October 29, 2024, to three years and one month in federal prison. He will also serve three years of supervised release and pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Aquallo pleaded guilty to third-degree burglary on December 2, 2024. On March 5, 2025, he received a sentence of one year and six months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. He is also required to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crimes Victim Fund.
The charges stem from an incident on January 5, 2024, when Valandra and Aquallo broke into an unoccupied home in St. Francis. Valandra set multiple fires inside with the intent to destroy the residence before both men fled on foot. The house was completely destroyed despite emergency services being called after the fire was noticed by the owner.
Security cameras captured footage of Valandra and Aquallo near the residence shortly before the fire began. The crime took place within the Rosebud Indian Reservation.
The case fell under federal jurisdiction due to the Major Crimes Act which requires certain violent crimes in Indian Country be prosecuted federally rather than at state level.
The investigation was conducted by Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson led the prosecution.
Both Valandra and Aquallo were taken into custody by U.S. Marshals Service immediately following their sentencing hearings.
