NOVEMBER 2023:
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Lawrence L. Piersol has sentenced a Wagner, South Dakota, woman convicted of six counts of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and two counts of Felony Child Abuse. The sentencing took place on November 27, 2023.
Tina Sully, age 53, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $800.
Sully was found guilty of six counts of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and two counts of Felony Child Abuse, following a four-day jury trial in federal district court in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, on September 15, 2023.
Sully was a foster and adoptive mother to several children. The jury convicted her of unlawfully assaulting and cruelly punishing two of them, including beating them with belts and hangers and withholding food from them for days, between the years of 2003 and 2021.
This case was investigated by the FBI, Yankton Sioux Law Enforcement, and the Charles Mix County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ann M. Hoffman and Elizabeth Ebert 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.
Sully was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
SEPTEMBER 2023:
A jury has convicted Tina Sully, age 53, of Wagner, South Dakota, of seven counts of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, two counts of Felony Child Abuse, and one count of Abusive Sexual Contact, following a four-day jury trial in federal district court in Sioux Falls.
The charges carry a mandatory minimum of 10 years and possible maximum penalty of life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and a $1,000 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Sully was a foster and adopted mother to several children. The jury convicted her of unlawfully assaulting and cruelly punishing three of them, including beating them with belts and hangers and withholding food from them for days, between the years of 1993 and 2021. Sully was also convicted of sexually abusing one of the children by grabbing the juvenile male’s genitals.
This case was investigated by the FBI, Yankton Sioux Law Enforcement, and the Charles Mix County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Hoffman and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Ebert, who also serves as a prosecutor with the South Dakota Attorney General’s Office, prosecuted the case.
A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing date has not been set. The defendant was released pending sentencing.
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