Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
A Box Elder woman has been sentenced to federal prison for her involvement in an assault within the Pine Ridge Reservation. The U.S. Attorney's Office announced that Samatha Wright, 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler on June 2, 2025.
Wright received a sentence of one year and six months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
The charges against Wright included Discharge of a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence, Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury, and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon. These charges were brought by a federal grand jury in June 2024, and Wright pleaded guilty on March 21, 2025.
The incident occurred during a domestic dispute between Wright and her then-husband while they resided on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Wright shot her husband three times with a handgun, causing serious injuries.
The prosecution was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office under the Major Crimes Act, which requires certain violent crimes occurring in Indian Country to be prosecuted federally rather than at the state level.
The case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth.
Following her sentencing, Wright was remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
