Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
A McLaughlin, South Dakota man has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for assaulting his mother. U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann handed down the sentence to Brady James Claymore, 38, on December 4, 2025. In addition to the prison term, Claymore will serve three years of supervised release and must pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Claymore was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2025 for Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury and pleaded guilty on September 16, 2025.
The incident occurred on December 26, 2024, at Claymore’s mother’s home in McLaughlin, located within the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation. According to court documents, after an argument with his mother while drinking alcohol, Claymore placed his hands around her neck and squeezed. His brother intervened by punching him several times in the head, causing Claymore to release his mother and lose balance. Both he and his mother fell down a short flight of steps during the altercation. As a result of the fall, Claymore’s mother suffered a broken nose and fractured three teeth.
"This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal Court as opposed to State Court," stated the office.
The Bureau of Indian Affairs investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem led the prosecution.
Following sentencing, Claymore was immediately remanded into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
