Sioux Empire Today

United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that Korilyn M. Whipple-Wright, a resident of Mission, South Dakota, has been sentenced to two years and three months in federal prison. This sentence follows her conviction for assault resulting in substantial bodily injury to a dating partner. The sentencing was carried out by U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte on May 27, 2025.

Whipple-Wright, aged 25, will also serve three years of supervised release following her prison term and is required to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

The incident occurred on February 16, 2024, when Whipple-Wright assaulted her former girlfriend in Rosebud, South Dakota, located within the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. The two women had recently ended their six-year relationship. During the assault, Whipple-Wright choked her ex-girlfriend until she lost consciousness temporarily and inflicted further harm by pushing her face into a wall and punching her. The victim sustained bruising on her forehead, a black eye, and a cut on her head.

Whipple-Wright was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2024 and pleaded guilty on February 26, 2025.

The prosecution of this case fell under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Attorney’s Office due to the Major Crimes Act. This federal statute requires certain violent crimes occurring in Indian country to be prosecuted at the federal level rather than at the state level.

The investigation was conducted by Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services with Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem handling the prosecution.

Following sentencing, Whipple-Wright was placed into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.