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 a St. Francis woman, Viola Boneshirt, who was convicted of assault with a dangerous weapon. U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte sentenced her to four years in federal prison on May 12, 2025.
Viola Boneshirt, aged 21, will also serve three years of supervised release and pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
The charges originated from an incident on September 11, 2023, at the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. During this event, Boneshirt was involved in an altercation with a juvenile at a residence in Parmelee, South Dakota. The confrontation escalated when Boneshirt used a sharp object to inflict a large laceration on the juvenile's leg that required multiple stitches before fleeing the scene.
A federal grand jury indicted Boneshirt in April 2024, and she pleaded guilty on February 7, 2025.
This case fell under federal jurisdiction due to the Major Crimes Act requiring certain violent crimes in Indian Country to be prosecuted federally rather than by state courts.
The investigation was conducted by Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson.
Following her sentencing, Boneshirt was remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
