Tribal elder convicted of threatening federal employee receives probation

On April 20, U.S. District Judge Eric Schulte sentenced Lafferty to four years of probation, with special conditions that include 320 days of community service. Lafferty is also required to write a letter of apology to the IHS employee and to avoid contact with the employee and five members of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe’s government, “unless approved in advance and in writing by the probation office.”

Lafferty was found not guilty of a second count of threatening to assault an employee of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Lafferty has been a vocal critic of the Cheyenne River Sioux tribal council, accusing its members of corruption and acting in secrecy. At a Feb. 6, 2025, meeting at the Lakota Cultural Center in Eagle Butte, he threw down his cultural whip and was restrained against a table by several council members until police arrived and escorted him away. Supporters say he’s been targeted unfairly for holding power to account.

Lafferty’s daughter, HolyElk Lafferty, told Buffalo’s Fire in a Facebook message that it has been “extremely troubling” to see how “ruthlessly the tribal council and the attorney general have been harassing my dad.” She said through “bullying,” they’ve been able to “exile a Lakota elder from his home, his people, his lands, for the better part of a whole year.”

Buffalo’s Fire previously reported that Lafferty was also tribally charged for “terroristic threats and violating a court order.” Requests for information on the status of those tribal charges have not been answered by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe’s Prosecutor Services.