Mission Man Sentenced for Assault With a Dangerous Weapon

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Mission, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault With a Dangerous Weapon. The sentencing took place on July 31, 2023.

Cordero Morris, a/k/a Cordero McIntire, age 36, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Morris was indicted by a federal grand jury in January of 2023. He pleaded guilty on May 10, 2023.

The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred near Mission, on September 15, 2022. On that date, Morris was riding in a vehicle driven by the victim, Morris’s spouse and intimate partner.  Morris and the victim subsequently got into an argument and Morris produced a knife, which he used to cut the victim on her arm. The victim stopped the vehicle and Morris got out, at which point the victim drove away. The victim then drove into Mission and went to the residence of a family member, who called 911. In April of 2023, while the case was pending trial, Morris called the victim from jail and attempted to persuade her to change her description of the incident and to say she did not remember what happened.

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

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.

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