U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a McLaughlin, South Dakota man convicted of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon. The sentencing took place on June 8, 2026.
Thomas Maurice Cornia, age 20, was sentenced to two 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.
Cornia was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2025. He pleaded guilty on February 23, 2026.
Cornia and another young man were embroiled in a long-standing feud. On the evening of July 5, 2025, they saw one another at a graduation party in Bullhead, South Dakota, and began arguing.
The other man punched Cornia in the face and they began brawling and wrestling on the ground. Cornia produced a knife and stabbed the other man in the shoulder.
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 FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.
Cornia was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to serve his federal sentence.
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