A federal court has sentenced two Box Elder men to substantial prison terms stemming from a July 2024 armed robbery attempt on Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation that left one man dead, according to a report by nbcmontana.com.
Brandon Lee Weaselboy, 36, received a 10-year federal sentence, while Levi Terrance Olson, 30, was ordered to serve 9 years and 3 months. Both men had entered guilty pleas in May to charges of attempted robbery and involuntary manslaughter.
What Happened
Investigators determined that four men coordinated a plan to break into a home on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation and steal drugs. Three of the group forced their way inside by kicking in the front door, triggering a shootout. The victim was subsequently found dead in the yard outside the home.
The FBI and Chippewa Cree Law Enforcement Services jointly investigated the case.
Previous Sentencing in the Case
A third participant in the scheme, Gordon Denny, was sentenced separately to 2 years and 7 months in federal prison. The identity and disposition of the fourth conspirator were not disclosed in available court records. The significant gap between Denny’s sentence and those handed down to Weaselboy and Olson likely reflects differences in individual culpability and cooperation as established during the guilty plea process.
This case is one of several recent federal prosecutions tied to violent crime and drug trafficking on and near the Rocky Boy’s Reservation. Earlier this year, another Box Elder man was sentenced to a decade in prison on federal fentanyl trafficking charges connected to the same reservation. For more on that case, see our earlier coverage of the fentanyl trafficking sentencing.
Federal Jurisdiction and Tribal Lands
Federal courts hold jurisdiction over major crimes committed on tribal lands under the Major Crimes Act, which is why the FBI took the lead role alongside tribal law enforcement in this investigation. Sentences in such cases are served in the federal prison system, typically without the possibility of parole.
Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation, home of the Chippewa Cree Tribe, is located in Hill County in north-central Montana. Law enforcement on the reservation operates through Chippewa Cree Law Enforcement Services, which coordinated with federal investigators throughout this case.
The convictions of Weaselboy and Olson represent the most consequential outcomes so far in the July 2024 incident, with the two men collectively facing nearly two decades of combined federal prison time for a robbery attempt that resulted in a death.
