A member of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians is headed to federal prison after a jury found her guilty of assault.

Ida Mae Sam, 56, was sentenced Tuesday to serve 68 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, for assaulting another Choctaw Indian with a dangerous weapon and causing serious bodily injury, according to a news release from the office of U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst. Sam was also ordered to pay a $1,500 fine. 

According to the news release, on April 25, 2015, Sam invited the victim and others to her residence in the Pearl River Community on the Choctaw Indian Reservation. At some point during the day, Sam became involved in an argument with her boyfriend, and then with the boyfriend of the victim. She then went into another room, returned with a knife and stabbed the victim multiple times. The victim suffered large cuts and significant blood loss.

On April 18, 2017, a federal grand jury indicted Sam in a two-count indictment charging her with assault of another person with a dangerous weapon and assault causing serious bodily injury. A jury trial was held in Jackson before U.S. District Judge David C. Bramlette III, and on Oct. 31 the jury found Sam guilty on all counts. 

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Choctaw Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Keesha D. Middleton and Erin Chalk.