Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell has announced the sentencing of a Saint Francis, South Dakota man for assault with a dangerous weapon. U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte sentenced Samuel Iron Shell to three years and 10 months in federal prison on July 21, 2025.
Iron Shell, aged 23, will also serve three years of supervised release and pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2024 and pleaded guilty on April 24, 2025.
The conviction relates to an incident on December 24, 2024, at the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. Iron Shell assaulted his significant other with a broomstick at a residence near St. Francis, resulting in the victim suffering a broken finger.
The case was prosecuted under the Major Crimes Act by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because it mandates certain violent crimes in Indian Country be tried in federal court rather than state court.
The investigation was conducted by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement and prosecuted by Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson. Iron Shell is now in custody with the U.S. Marshals Service.
