United States Attorney Alison Ramsdell announced that a St. Francis, South Dakota, man convicted of Voluntary Manslaughter was sentenced on May 27, 2022, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
Tanyan Wakita Iron, a/k/a Sonny Iron, age 20, was sentenced to 84 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Iron was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 9, 2020. He pled guilty on January 27, 2022.
The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on August 9, 2020, in St. Francis. Iron was at the victim’s home visiting, when he produced a handgun and attempted to get the victim to join him in a round of “Russian roulette” which the victim declined. A short time later, Iron shot the victim in the head, causing her death.
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.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley prosecuted the case.
Iron was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.