Wounded Knee Men Charged With Theft Of A Cow And Calf

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that two Wounded Knee, South Dakota, men have been indicted by a federal grand jury for Larceny.

Richard Daniel Ecoffey, a/k/a George Ecoffey, age 50, and Eugene Hunts Horses, Jr., age 43, were indicted on February 19, 2014.  They appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy on February 25, 2014, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 5 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.  Restitution may also be ordered.

The charges relate to Ecoffey and Hunts Horses stealing a cow and calf from another man on February 9, 2013, near Manderson.

The charges are merely accusations and Ecoffey and Hunts Horses are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The investigation is being conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich is prosecuting the case.

Ecoffey and Hunts Horses were released on bond pending trial.  A trial date has been set for May 6, 2014.