Eagle Butte Man Sentenced to Federal Prison for Possessing Stolen Ammunition

PIERRE - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a man from Eagle Butte, South Dakota, convicted of Possession of Stolen Ammunition. The sentencing took place on March 30, 2026.

Nathanal Benoist, age 26, was sentenced to 14 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, ordered to forfeit a firearm and ammunition, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Benoist was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2025. He pleaded guilty on July 28, 2025.

The conviction stems from Benoist breaking into a store in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, in the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation on November 1, 2024, while the store was closed. Benoist shot out the front window of the store, entered the store through the broken window, and stole ammunition.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Venhuizen prosecuted the case.

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