St. Francis Man Sentenced for Assaults

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Robert A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a St. Francis, South Dakota man convicted of two counts of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury. The sentencing took place on July 1, 2024.

Charles Cordier, age 25, was sentenced to five years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Cordier was indicted by a federal grand jury in June of 2023. He pleaded guilty on April 1, 2024.

On February 12, 2023, Cordier was in St. Francis when he struck a man in the face with a metal bar.  The victim suffered a mandible fracture and received medical care in Rosebud and in Rapid City for the injuries.  For most of the month of March, 2023, Cordier had been quarreling with another man.  On March 26, 2023, their feud came to a head when they encountered each other and the victim was armed with a chain and Cordier had a pistol.  Cordier fired his gun at the other man and struck him, fracturing a bone in his forearm.  This victim received medical care in Rosebud and Rapid City to treat his injuries.  Both assaults occurred within the Rosebud Reservation.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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.

This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Maher prosecuted the case.

Cordier was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal to serve his sentence.