A Sisseton woman has been sentenced to five years of probation for her role in a cattle grazing scheme in northeastern South Dakota.
Amanda Holy Bull, age 34, accepted a plea agreement and was sentenced this week by a federal court judge.
Holy Bull previously admitted to a federal felony charge of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud.
She, and her husband, Keith Hagen, age 49, were both indicted in February 2016. Hagen was recently sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for his involvement in the case.
Court documents indicate the couple offered custom cattle grazing services through the Holy Bull Cattle Company, which they created in 2007. The land, which was located in Marshall County was leased through the Sisseton Agency of the Federal Bureau of Indian Affairs.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota revealed fraudulent activity had occurred in 2012, 2013, and 2014. During that time, cattle producers made advance payments to Hagen for pasture land which was reported as being available for grazing, but when they attempted to utilize the land they discovered there was no land available.
