Two Men Sentenced for Role in Aggravated Assault

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced two South Dakota men convicted of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury. The sentencing took place on March 14, 2023, in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

Cody Nicolas Gill, age 33, from Waubay, South Dakota, and Jesse Burton Robert Hopkins, Sr., a/k/a JJ, age 36, from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, were each sentenced to three years and nine months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Hopkins was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine. They were each ordered to pay $100 as a statutorily required special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Gill and Hopkins were indicted for Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury by a federal grand jury in October of 2022. Gill and Hopkins pleaded guilty to Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury on December 12, 2022.

According to court documents, in late July of 2022, in Day County, South Dakota, Gill and Hopkins committed an aggravated assault against the victim. Gill and Hopkins jumped the victim for no reason, punching and kicking the victim while on the ground. The victim sustained serious injuries to his jaw, among other injuries, as a result of the assault. 

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Sioux Tribe’s Law Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy R. Jehangiri prosecuted the case.

Gill and Hopkins were remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to continue serving their sentences.