A federal jury in Rapid City has found Oliver Brown Bull, 37, of Kyle, South Dakota, guilty of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. The verdict was delivered on December 4, 2025, after a three-day trial.
Brown Bull was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2025 on two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury and one count of assault with a dangerous weapon. At the end of the trial, he was convicted for assaulting one victim but acquitted on charges related to another victim.
The incident occurred on January 31, 2025, within the Pine Ridge Reservation. According to evidence presented at trial, Brown Bull pushed another man to the ground and punched him several times in the face before kicking him. The victim sustained multiple injuries including a broken eye socket, laceration near his eye, two broken nose bones, and significant bruising. Testimony indicated that as of the trial date, the victim continued to experience pain and disfigurement from the attack.
United States Attorney Ron Parsons stated that prosecution took place at the federal level 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.”
The case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigations Division and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Schroeder.
Brown Bull faces up to ten years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine. He could also receive three years of supervised release and be ordered to pay restitution along with a $100 special assessment fee to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. A presentence investigation has been ordered and sentencing will be scheduled at a later date. In the meantime, Brown Bull remains in custody with the U.S. Marshals Service.
