Pine Ridge Man Sentenced to Federal Prison

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, man convicted of Brandishing a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence and Assault on a Federal Officer was sentenced on April 10, 2023, by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken.

As to the charge of Brandishing a Firearm During the Commission of a Crime of Violence, Daniel Tobacco, age 29, was sentenced to seven years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. As to the Assault on a Federal Officer charge, Tobacco was sentenced to four years and nine months in federal prison to be served consecutively with the other sentence, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay another $100 special assessment. 

Tobacco was indicted for the charges by a federal grand jury in September of 2021, and pleaded guilty in December of 2022. The conviction stems from Tobacco engaging in a standoff with tribal and federal law enforcement at a residence north of Pine Ridge on September 2, 2021. Tobacco fired a semiautomatic pistol several times during the standoff. Tobacco pointed the gun toward an approaching Tribal law enforcement officer and squeezed the trigger as he was tased by the officer.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. 

The case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Sazama prosecuted the case.

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