United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that Francis Lee Dubray, a 35-year-old resident of McLaughlin, South Dakota, has been sentenced for First Degree Burglary and two counts of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon. U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann handed down the sentence on June 16, 2025.
Dubray will serve five years and ten months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. He is also required to pay a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
The case stems from an incident on July 5, 2023, when Dubray and two co-defendants went to a woman’s home in McLaughlin, located within the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation. They intended to assault a man they accused of inappropriate behavior towards a girl. During the altercation, one co-defendant kicked in the front door while Dubray remained outside yelling at the woman for harboring the man.
Inside the house, Dubray’s co-defendants attacked the unconscious man, causing severe injuries including a broken nose and shattered orbital and sinus bones. The victim continues to suffer from vision problems and headaches as a result of the attack. As they left, one co-defendant knocked down the woman, and Dubray kicked her in the face before fleeing.
This prosecution was handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office under the Major Crimes Act which requires certain violent crimes in Indian country to be prosecuted federally rather than at the state level.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services with Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem leading the prosecution. Following sentencing, Dubray was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
