Lower Brule Man Sentenced for Habitual Domestic Assault by an Habitual Offender

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Lower Brule, South Dakota, man convicted of two counts of Domestic Assault by an Habitual Offender. The sentencing took place on April 15, 2024.

Isaac Goodface, age 32, was sentenced to four 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. 

Goodface was indicted by a federal grand jury in September of 2023. The defendant changed his plea to guilty on November 30, 2023.

The defendant was convicted of physically assaulting the same victim on two separate occasions in Lyman County, within the Lower Brule Sioux Indian Reservation. In September of 2022, Goodface threw the victim on the ground, strangled her, struck her about the head and face, and prevented her from leaving the residence. In June of 2023, Goodface struck the victim on the face and pointed a gun at her during an argument.

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 Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services, Lower Brule Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley prosecuted the case.

Goodface was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.