District of South Dakota

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Kyle, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury. The sentencing took place on January 25, 2024.

Marcus Pawnee Leggins, 35, was sentenced to two years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Pawnee Leggins was indicted for Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury and Assault with a Dangerous Weapon by a federal grand jury in August of 2023. He pleaded guilty on October 13, 2023.

The conviction stems from Pawnee Leggins beating a male in June of 2023 near Kyle. The assault resulted in serious bodily injury to the victim.

This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.

This case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case.

Pawnee Leggins was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Jonathan A. Kobes, sitting in district court in Rapid City, South Dakota, has sentenced a Rapid City man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on January 23, 2024.

Richard Neiss, 52, was sentenced to six years and six months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. He was also ordered to forfeit his interests in several firearms.

Neiss was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person by a federal grand jury in October of 2022. He pleaded guilty on October 6, 2023.

On June 29, 2022, Neiss was driving a vehicle in Rapid City, when he was stopped by law enforcement. Neiss was the sole occupant. A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of six firearms, which Neiss is not allowed to possess due to having a felony conviction.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team, which is  local drug task force comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. 

Neiss was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

 

 

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. The sentencing took place on January 24, 2024.

Nathan David Hankins, 31, was sentenced to 24 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Ten years of Hankins’ federal custody time will run consecutively with previously imposed state and federal custody sentences. Hankins was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Hankins was indicted for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor by a federal grand jury in August of 2023. He was convicted at a court trial on October 26, 2023.

The conviction stems from Hankins exploiting a 14-year-old female with whom he had a relationship in March of 2014. Hankins was 21 years old at the time.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

This case was investigated by the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah B. Collins prosecuted the case.

Hankins was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

 

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl. The sentencing took place on January 25, 2024.

Ismael Hernandez, 30, was sentenced to 12 years and six months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Hernandez was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl and two counts of Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm by a federal grand jury in June of 2023. He pleaded guilty on October 6, 2023.

Starting around July of 2022, and continuing until June 6, 2024, Hernandez traveled to Colorado to obtain fentanyl. He then brought fentanyl back to South Dakota and sold it to other people. Overall, he was responsible for between 400 grams and 1.2 kilograms of fentanyl. Also, during this time law enforcement recovered firearms from him on two separate occasions. Hernandez is prohibited from having firearms due to a previous felony conviction.

This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team, which is a local drug task force comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime. 

Hernandez was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

 

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Jonathan A. Kobes, sitting in district court in Rapid City, South Dakota, has sentenced a Rapid City man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on January 24, 2024.

Ike Sowder, 41 was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Sowder was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in March of 2023. He pleaded guilty on October 6, 2023.

Beginning around June of 2022, Sowder became involved with co-conspirators in obtaining counterfeit fentanyl pills. Co-conspirators brought the fentanyl to western South Dakota and Sowder actively distributed the fentanyl to others for use and distribution. It was reasonably foreseeable to Sowder that between 400 grams and 1.2 kilograms of fentanyl would be distributed during the course of the conspiracy.

This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team, which is a local drug task force comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard.

Sowder was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of Child Pornography. The sentencing took place on January 24, 2024.

Donald Shepersky, 68, was sentenced to six and a half years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Shepersky will also be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

Shepersky was indicted for Receipt of Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography by a federal grand jury in August of 2022. He pleaded guilty on October 25, 2023.

Shepersky was federally indicted following a Cybertip from the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children in relation to an upload of child pornography to Kik. The Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce executed a search warrant on Shepersky’s residence and located multiple electronic devices. A forensic examination of those devices found hundreds of images of child pornography.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

This case was investigated by the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah B. Collins prosecuted the case.

Shepersky was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

 

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury. The sentencing took place on January 24, 2024.

Vine Phillip Hayes, age 49, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Hayes was indicted by a federal grand jury in September of 2022. He pleaded guilty on November 9, 2023.

The conviction stemmed from Hayes’ role in the beating death of a man near Pine Ridge, South Dakota, in November of 2021. In the early morning hours of November 28, 2021, Hayes and co-defendants Lance Red Cloud and Michael Red Cloud drove the victim, an adult male, to a remote area outside of Pine Ridge. The defendants pulled the victim out of their vehicle and beat him. They then drove back to Pine Ridge, leaving the victim lying on the ground with severe injuries. The victim subsequently died from his injuries.

Lance Red Cloud pleaded guilty to Second Degree Murder, based on his role in the attack, and was sentenced on August 11, 2023, to 14 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Michael Red Cloud pleaded guilty to Accessory to Second Degree Murder, based on his role in the attack, and was sentenced on December 11, 2023, to three years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah B. Collins and Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.

This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in federal court as opposed to State court.

Hayes was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. 

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Jonathan A. Kobes, sitting in district court in Rapid City, South Dakota, has sentenced a New Underwood, South Dakota, man convicted of Receipt of Child Pornography with a Prior Child Pornography Conviction. The sentencing took place on January 23, 2024.

Kent Joy, 48, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised. Joy was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and a $5,000 special assessment to the Victims of Trafficking Fund. Joy will be also required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

Joy was indicted for Receipt of Child Pornography with a Prior Child Pornography Conviction and Possession of Child Pornography with a Prior Child Pornography Conviction by a federal grand jury in March of 2023. He pleaded guilty on November 1, 2023.

The conviction stems from Joy, a person previously convicted for a child pornography offense, knowingly receiving child pornography between April 18, 2018, and September 19, 2022.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

This case was investigated by South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case.

Joy was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

 

 

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a jury has convicted Louis Andrew Rabbitt, Jr., age 42, of Mission, South Dakota, of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender, Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding a Federal Officer with a Dangerous Weapon, and Commission of a Crime of Violence while Failing to Register as a Sex Offender following a three-day jury trial in federal district court in Pierre, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on January 25, 2024.

The charge of Commission of a Crime of Violence while Failing to Register as a Sex Offender carries a maximum penalty of up to 30 years in custody and a mandatory minimum of five years consecutive to any sentence for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender and/or a $250,000 fine, and a mandatory minimum of five years up to life of supervised release. The charge of Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding a Federal Officer with a Dangerous Weapon carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. The charge of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, and a mandatory minimum of five years up to life of supervised release. A $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund applies to each count, totaling $300.

Rabbitt was indicted by a federal grand jury in October and December of 2023. 

According to evidence presented at trial, Rabbitt failed to update his sex offender registration after moving from his registered address in July of 2023. Rabbitt had continued to fail to update his sex offender registration when the U.S. Marshals Service arrived to arrest Rabbitt pursuant to an arrest warrant on September 20, 2023. In an effort to avoid arrest, Rabbitt threatened Deputy U.S. Marshals with a baseball bat before being apprehended.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service with the assistance of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Wayne Venhuizen and Meghan Dilges prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing date was set for April 22, 2024. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Manderson, South Dakota, man convicted of Voluntary Manslaughter. The sentencing took place on January 23, 2024.

Sequoyah Mark West, Jr., 30, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

West was indicted for Second Degree Murder by a federal grand jury in June of 2023. He pleaded guilty to an amended charge of Voluntary Manslaughter on November 17, 2023. The charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. 

The conviction stems from West killing a man by beating and asphyxiation in April of 2023, at Manderson.

This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.

This case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case.

West was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Rapid City - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals Jonathan A. Kobes, sitting in district court in Rapid City, South Dakota, has sentenced a Kyle, South Dakota, man convicted of two counts of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon and Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury. The sentencing took place on January 24, 2024.

Lloyd S. Yankton Jr., 43, was sentenced to a total of 22 years and six months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Judge Kobes imposed a 90-month sentence on each of the three counts and ordered the sentences to run consecutively. 

Yankton was indicted for Kidnapping, Assault with Intent to Commit Murder, Assault with a Dangerous Weapon, and Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury by a federal grand jury in July of 2023. He pleaded guilty on October 2, 2023.

The conviction stems from Yankton assaulting his significant other with a blow torch and a metal bar in July of 2023, which caused serious bodily injury. Yankton also beat the same woman in July of 2022 with a metal pole, which was a dangerous weapon.   

This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.

This case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case.

Yankton was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced an Eagle Butte, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on January 22, 2024.

Philip Lamar Nordvold, age 45, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Nordvold was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person by a federal grand jury in April of 2023. He pleaded guilty on November 2, 2023.

In 2015, Nordvold was convicted in U.S. District Court for the District of South Dakota of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. Within three months prior to May 16, 2022, near Eagle Butte, Nordvold unlawfully possessed another firearm, a Heritage Manufacturing Incorporated brand revolver with an obliterated serial number. 

This case was investigated by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Venhuizen prosecuted the case.

Nordvold was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Nordvold was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

 

 

SIOUX FALLS - January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month. To commemorate the month, U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell renewed the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s commitment to bringing traffickers to justice, assisting trafficked victims, and enhancing public awareness through community outreach. 

Human trafficking is a crime involving the exploitation of a person for labor, services, or commercial sex, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion that is physical and/or psychological. The exploitation of a minor for commercial sex is human trafficking regardless of whether any form of force, fraud, or coercion is used by the trafficker.

“Human trafficking does not adhere to social or educational boundaries—it can happen to anyone,” said U.S. Attorney Ramsdell. “That’s why my office is committed to working alongside our partners in law enforcement to prevent human trafficking and to bring offenders to justice.”

To enhance awareness and educate the community about human trafficking, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has released a public service announcement, available here, about how to identify potential trafficking situations and where to report suspected trafficking activity.

Recent Human Trafficking Prosecutions

In the last year alone, the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s anti-trafficking efforts resulted in notable prosecutions that have led to federal charges, convictions, and prison sentences against individual traffickers:

United States v. Daniel Kubica: On March 23, 2023, Daniel Kubica, 39, of Chicago, Illinois, was charged with multiple federal offenses relating to sex trafficking of women in the Black Hills and elsewhere. Kubica is charged with sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; benefitting from sex trafficking; and using a facility of interstate commerce in aid of a racketeering enterprise. Between August 31, 2022, and September 29, 2022, Kubica facilitated an illegal commercial sex operation, through which at least three females in the Black Hills area, and other women in the United States, engaged in commercial sexual activity through Kubica’s use of force, threats, and coercion. Kubica is currently scheduled for a federal jury trial on March 26, 2024.

United States v. Gordon Weston: On January 10, 2024, a federal jury in Rapid City, South Dakota, convicted Gordon Weston, 57, of Oglala, South Dakota, of Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet and Commercial Sex Trafficking. Weston was indicted by a federal grand jury in September of 2021. Weston was employed as the Activities Coordinator at the Emergency Youth Shelter in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, from 2009 to 2021. Weston commonly requested juvenile females who stayed at the shelter to be “friends” with him on Facebook after they had left the shelter. Weston contacted at least one juvenile female and offered her money and transportation in exchange for sexual encounters with him. Weston is awaiting sentencing.

United States v. John Ray Heath: In March of 2023, John Ray Heath, 52, of Rapid City, South Dakota, was indicted for using the internet to attempt to sexually exploit a minor. The charge related to Heath attempting to meet an individual he believed to be a 14-year-old female for sex. The individual was actually an undercover law enforcement officer engaged in proactive policing of sex offenders. During the investigation, the law enforcement officer discovered that Heath was sex trafficking a minor and sexually exploiting multiple other females in the Rapid City area. Heath was thereafter indicted for sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion; sexual exploitation of a minor; enticement of a minor using the internet, and other federal sex offenses. Heath pleaded guilty to sex trafficking a minor and sexual exploitation of a minor and is scheduled for sentencing on March 1, 2024.

United States v. Odarie Massiah: On August 2, 2023, Odarie Massiah, 33, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was charged with Commercial Sex Trafficking of an adult female by force, threats of force, fraud and coercion between July 1, 2020, and August 8, 2022. The defendant is alleged to have benefited financially from the commercial sex acts in which he caused his adult victim to engage. He is scheduled for trial on February 20, 2024.

United States v. Richard Alan Kucera & Ivy Rose Heron: On November 1, 2023, Richard Alan Kucera, 65, and Ivy Rose Heron, 35, both of Winner, South Dakota, were charged with three counts of Sex Trafficking of Minors between April 3, 2019, and July 31, 2021. Kucera was also charged with three additional counts of Producing Child Pornography. Both defendants are scheduled for trial on March 19, 2024.

United States v. Sheyenne Rodriguez: On August 17, 2023, Sheyenne Rodriguez, 41, of Wakpala, South Dakota, was indicted for sex trafficking of a child and transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity. In March of 2021, Rodriguez is alleged to have recruited, enticed, harbored, transported, and provided a minor to engage in a commercial sex act in the District of South Dakota and elsewhere. Rodriguez is currently scheduled for a federal jury trial on June 4, 2024.

United States v. Zeng Quiang Yang: On May 3, 2022, Zeng Quiang Yang, 46, of Nesquehoning, Pennsylvania, was charged with Unlawful Employment of Aliens. He pleaded guilty to the charge. Between January of 2019 and May of 2020, Yang was the manager of a restaurant in Huron, South Dakota. During that time frame, Yang knowingly employed unauthorized aliens. On December 11, 2023, he was sentenced to one year of probation.

United States v. William Godoy: On December 6, 2022, a superseding indictment was filed, charging William Godoy, 33, of Guatemala, with Illegal Reentry After Deportation; two counts of Trafficking with Respect to Slavery; two counts of Harboring/Concealing Illegal Aliens; and two counts of Encouraging or Inducing an Alien to come to, enter, or reside in the US. Godoy is scheduled for trial on February 13, 2024.

Online Sex Trafficking Operations: In collaboration with several law enforcement partners, there were two joint online sex-trafficking operations in 2023, as part of Project Safe Childhood. The undercover sex trafficking operations target internet predators and illustrate proactive efforts by law enforcement to apprehend would-be exploiters. Via electronic devices and social apps, the perpetrators typically negotiate a time and place to meet the minor to engage in unlawful sex acts. When they arrive at the pre-determined location to meet the minor, they are instead met by law enforcement agents and placed under arrest.

The first operation ran from March 3, 2023, through March 8, 2023, and resulted in the arrest and indictment of six men from Sioux Falls, South Dakota. All six men were charged with Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet. The second sting operation ran August 4, 2023, through August 10, 2023, during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. As a result of this operation, four Rapid City, South Dakota, men and one Box Elder, South Dakota, man were arrested. Four were charged with Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet and one was charged with Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

If you believe you are the victim of human trafficking or have information about a potential trafficking situation, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or send a text to 233733. You can also submit a tip online, through the FBI Field Office at 1-800-CALL-FBI, or through your local law enforcement agency.   

###

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a St. Francis, South Dakota, man convicted of Domestic Assault by a Habitual Offender. The sentencing took place on January 22, 2024.

Edward Wilson, a/k/a Eddie Wilson, age 41, was sentenced to three years and nine months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Wilson was indicted by a federal grand jury in July of 2023. He was convicted of Domestic Assault by a Habitual Offender on October 5, 2023, after a three-day jury trial.

On May 29, 2023, shortly after 8:00 am, Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services responded to St. Francis after the victim called 911 reporting an assault. The victim reported to officers that Wilson had assaulted her the night prior, punching her in the face and kicking her in the body numerous times. The responding officers noticed marks on the victim’s face and body consistent with her statement. Wilson has previously been convicted of domestic assault on two separate occasions in U.S. District Court, District of South Dakota.

This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.

This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Abby Roesler prosecuted the case.

Wilson was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

 

 

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced an Eagle Butte, South Dakota man convicted of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon. The sentencing took place on January 22, 2024.

Taryn Peter Ducheneaux, age 35, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

Ducheneaux was indicted by a federal grand jury in January of 2023. He pleaded guilty on December 22, 2023.

In the early morning hours of August 13, 2022, Ducheneaux and several other people were at a bonfire at a home in Eagle Butte. The victim parked his car across the street to pick up some clothing from a neighbor. Following some verbal sparring, an altercation broke out between the victim, Ducheneaux, and several others. During the fracas, Ducheneaux struck the victim on the head with a baseball bat. The victim incurred a serious brain injury during the fight.

This case was investigated by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.

Ducheneaux was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a federal jury has convicted Juan Francisco Alvarez-Sorto, age 25, of El Salvador, and Deyvin Morales, age 29, of Guatemala, of the following offenses: Kidnapping; Carjacking; Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence; Unlawful Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person; and Unlawful Reentry after Deportation. The jury returned its verdict on each count following a 6-day jury trial in federal district court in Rapid City, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on January 23, 2024.

According to evidence presented at trial, on May 5, 2022, Alvarez, Morales, and Lopez traveled from Greeley, Colorado, into southwestern South Dakota for the purpose of trafficking and distributing controlled substances, including methamphetamine, fentanyl, and heroin. During their trip, the defendants encountered law enforcement and engaged in a high-speed chase. The defendants eluded law enforcement at that time and hid in a remote area near Red Shirt, South Dakota. 

Alvarez, Morales, and Lopez then decided to carjack the next vehicle to come along the area at which the defendants stopped on BIA Highway 41. At approximately 2:00am on May 6, 2022, a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Victim Specialist left an unrelated crime scene investigation near Oglala, South Dakota, and began traveling back towards his duty station in Rapid City. The FBI employee was driving his assigned FBI vehicle.

As the employee was heading North on BIA 41 near the Badlands overlook on Cuny Table, he passed a vehicle that was parked in the approach near the overlook. As he passed the parked vehicle, the parked vehicle’s lights turned on and the vehicle pulled out behind the employee. The employee, believing he was being pulled over by law enforcement, pulled his vehicle to the side of the road. After the employee pulled his vehicle over, he next realized there was a male at his window pointing a rifle at him and ordering him to get out of the vehicle. The employee realized that the male, identified as Alvarez, was not a law enforcement officer and also that the vehicle had blocked his own vehicle, preventing him from driving away. 

Morales and Alvarez ordered the FBI employee out of the vehicle at gun point. The employee was ordered to get on the ground behind his vehicle while Alvarez was holding the rifle at the back of his head.  The employee was ordered to keep his head down while on the ground. The group then robbed him of his wallet, money, credit cards, car keys, watch, and personal and work mobile phones. 

The FBI employee was then ordered to get up and placed in the middle-rear seat of his government-issued vehicle, as the passenger side seat was blocked with items. While holding the rifle, Alvarez was seated in the front passenger seat of the employee’s vehicle and Morales, while armed with two handguns in his waistband, was seated in the rear driver’s side seat next to the employee. Lopez got into the driver’s seat of the employee’s vehicle. At this point, the defendants took control of the vehicle and took the employee hostage. As the group traveled North on BIA 41, they told the employee to cooperate and he would be safe, but if he did not, the group would come after his family and that they knew where he lived. 

The group traveled to Hermosa, South Dakota, stopping at a gas station at the intersection of State Highway 40 and Highway 79. Once the group arrived at the gas station, Lopez went inside to purchase gas. As she got out of the vehicle to go inside the gas station, Alvarez locked the doors to the employee’s vehicle, and the doors remained locked while Lopez was out of the vehicle. Lopez then came back to the vehicle holding a gas can and zip ties. She entered the vehicle and conducted a U-turn and then went to a gas pump. The FBI employee noticed that after Lopez came back to the vehicle, Alvarez, who was brandishing the firearm, had the zip ties in his possession and was getting them out.  As Lopez got out to pump gas, the doors to the vehicle were momentarily unlocked. Seizing the opportunity, the employee opened the rear driver’s side door, fought his way out of the vehicle, slipping out of his jacket to escape Morales' attempts to detain him, and sprinted inside the front doors of the gas station to escape.

The three defendants then fled from the gas station and drove to Rapid City, where they abandoned the FBI vehicle and switched to another vehicle.  Alvarez and Morales were able to make it back to Greeley, Colorado, where they were ultimately arrested for their roles in the kidnapping and carjacking. During a search of the residence where Alvarez and Morales were arrested, law enforcement located firearms, including the rifle used during the kidnapping and carjacking, and controlled substances. 

“Every day, men and women in the Department of Justice respond to incidents of violent crime in South Dakota,” said U.S. Attorney Alison Ramsdell. “This dedication to improving community safety often comes with great personal sacrifice, and as this case unfortunately demonstrates, on occasion, an extreme risk to personal safety. We are grateful to our partners at the FBI for their dogged commitment to this difficult work, and we hope these convictions send a clear message about the lengths the U.S. Attorney’s Office is willing to go to vindicate the rights of victims, no matter who they are.”

“The FBI will not tolerate violence and threats to harm its personnel,” said Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. of FBI Minneapolis. “Thank you to our law enforcement partners and the USAO-SD for their hard work and unwavering dedication. This verdict stands as a testament to our commitment to ensuring the safety and security of every member of the FBI. Justice will be relentlessly pursued against those who seek to harm or intimidate any of our workforce.”

This case was investigated by the FBI, Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the South Dakota DCI, the South Dakota Highway Patrol, the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, the Rapid City Police Department, and the Greeley, Colorado, Police Department, and the Custer and Pennington County Sheriff’s Offices. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeremy R. Jehangiri and Paige Petersen prosecuted the case.

Alvarez, Morales, and co-defendant Karla Alejandra Lopez-Gutierrez were indicted by a federal grand jury in August of 2022 and Alvarez and Morales were indicted again in December of 2023.

The charge of kidnapping carries any term of years up to life in custody and/or a $250,000 fine and 5 years of supervised release. The charge of carjacking carries 15 years of custody and/or a $250,000 fine and 3 years of supervised release. The use, carry, and brandish a firearm charge carries a mandatory minimum of 7 years and up to life in custody and/or a $250,000 fine and 5 years of supervised release. The unlawful possession of a firearm by a prohibited person charge carries 10 years of custody and/or a $250,000 fine and 3 years of supervised release. The unlawful reentry after deportation charge carries 2 years of custody and/or a $250,000 fine and one year of supervised release. A $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund applies to each count, totaling $500.

A sentencing date has not yet been set. The defendants were remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

 ###

 

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a federal grand jury has indicted a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man for 23 counts of Aiding and Assisting in the Preparation and Presentation of a False and Fraudulent Return and 23 counts of Wire Fraud.

Amon Eustache Aboua, age 54, was indicted in January of 2024. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on January 16, 2024, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 20 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and up to $4,600 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.

The Indictment alleges that Aboua is the owner of African Communities United, d/b/a ACU Tax Services. Between February 2, 2018, and April 2, 2019, Aboua prepared false U.S. Individual Income Tax Returns and submitted them to the IRS for several taxpayers. Those returns were false in that the returns represented that the taxpayers were entitled to claim deductions when, in fact, they were not. Aboua submitted those tax returns electronically and caused fraudulently-inflated refunds, which unjustly enriched Aboua.

The charges are merely accusations and Aboua is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The investigation is being conducted by the IRS. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Hoffman is prosecuting the case.  

Aboua was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has not been set.

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Rosebud, South Dakota, man convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact. The sentencing took place on January 16, 2024.

Kyle Black Bull, age 34, was sentenced to three years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Black Bull was indicted by a federal grand jury in June of 2022. He pleaded guilty on September 28, 2023.

In the evening hours of April 16, 2022, the victim was at a residence in Parmelee, South Dakota, with the defendant and two other males. The victim and the defendant had both been consuming alcohol during the evening. As the night progressed, the victim fell asleep on the couch. In the early morning hours of April 17, the victim awoke to the defendant engaging in intercourse with her. The victim was not capable of consenting, due to being asleep, and the defendant was aware that the victim was incapable of consenting.

This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.

This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Abby Roesler prosecuted the case.

Black Bull was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

 

 

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a jury has convicted Gordon Weston, age 57, of Oglala, South Dakota, of Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet and Commercial Sex Trafficking following a two-day jury trial in federal district court in Rapid City, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on January 10, 2024.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, up to life on supervised release, and a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. 

Weston was indicted by a federal grand jury in September of 2021. 

Weston was employed as the Activities Coordinator at the Emergency Youth Shelter in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, from 2009 to 2021. Weston commonly requested juvenile females who stayed at the shelter to be “friends” with him on Facebook after they had left the shelter. Weston contacted at least one juvenile female and offered her money and transportation in exchange for sexual encounters with him.

This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan Poppen and Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.

A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing date has not been set. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a jury has convicted Evan Brown Bull, age 38, of Kyle, South Dakota, of Possession of Ammunition by a Prohibited Person following a two-day jury trial in federal district court in Rapid City, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on January 10, 2024.

The charge carries a maximum penalty of ten years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. 

Brown Bull was indicted by a federal grand jury in July of 2022. 

Evidence at trial established that in March of 2022, in Rapid City, Brown Bull, a previously convicted felon who is prohibited from possessing firearms and ammunition, was found in possession of 11 rounds of Black Hills Ammunition brand, .380 AUTO caliber ammunition, 49 rounds of Blazer brand, 9x19mm Luger ammunition, and 49 rounds of PMC brand, .38 Special caliber ammunition, which were found after Brown Bull came into contact with law enforcement during a traffic stop.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case.

A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing date has not been set. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

 

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that in FY23, the U.S. Department of Justice, through the Office of Justice Programs (OJP), awarded 33 grants totaling $16.3 million in funding to the State of South Dakota, various tribal and local governments, and other local entities to support public safety and community justice activities. Nationally, the Justice Department awarded more than $4.4 billion in similar grant funding.

Of the $16.3 million awarded in South Dakota, over $8 million was given to the State of South Dakota, including the Attorney General’s Office, Department of Corrections, and Department of Public Safety. Over $5.4 million was awarded to tribal governments, including the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe, Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe, Lower Brule Sioux Tribe, Oglala Sioux Tribe, Rosebud Sioux Tribe, and the Yankton Sioux Tribe in the form of grants from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), and National Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent (SMART) grants. Additional grants were awarded to city and county governments, South Dakota State University, and local organizations.

“The money awarded to the State of South Dakota, tribal and local governments, and community organizations has the capacity to fund truly impactful work in the area of public safety,” said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell. “We look forward to collaborating with these entities to grow the impact of their grant funding and improve the quality of life in communities throughout our state.”

The more than 3,700 OJP grants awarded in FY23 will support state, local, and community-based efforts and evidence-based interventions that reduce violence, crime, and recidivism while delivering treatment and services to those at-risk of justice system involvement. Funding will expand partnerships between criminal justice professionals and behavioral health experts, help people safely and successfully transition from confinement back to their communities, reach crime victims in underserved areas, steer young people away from justice system contact, improve the management of sex offenders, and support a wide range of research and statistical activities that will help justice system professionals meet community safety challenges.

Grants will support five major community safety and justice priorities:

• Awards totaling more than $1 billion will promote safety and strengthen trust, helping communities tackle the proliferation of gun violence in America and restore bonds of trust between community residents and the justice system. Grants will support innovative and evidence-based strategies designed to prevent and reduce violent crime, support the health and safety of law enforcement and public safety professionals, promote rehabilitation and reentry success, and address the rise in hate crimes across the country.
• More than $437 million in grant awards will accelerate justice system reforms designed to achieve equal justice and fair treatment for all. Grants will expand access to services among historically underserved and marginalized communities, reduce counterproductive involvement in the justice system, increase opportunities for diversion, and build pathways to treatment for people with substance use and mental health disorders.
• Over $192 million will improve the fairness and effectiveness of the juvenile justice system by supporting developmentally appropriate and culturally responsive interventions for youth. Funding will ensure that young people are served at home in their communities whenever possible, are equipped to transition to a healthy adulthood free of crime, and are protected from violence and abuse.
• More than $1.7 billion will expand access to victim services by investing in programs that provide trauma-informed and culturally responsive services to victims. Funding will support thousands of local victim assistance programs across the country and victim compensation programs in every state and U.S. territory, while helping these programs build their capacity to reach those disproportionately affected by crime and victimization.
• Over $418 million in awards will advance science and innovation to strengthen the base of knowledge that policymakers and practitioners can use to design and deploy effective community safety strategies. Awards will support research and data collection on a wide range of public safety issues, help maintain timely and accurate criminal history records, and improve the capacity of crime labs and forensic analysts to solve crimes, absolve the innocent, and deliver justice to victims.

In addition, OJP awarded more than $611 million to continue its support of other previously funded programs and congressionally directed spending. More information about the awards can be found by visiting www.ojp.gov/funding/fy23awards.

###

The Office of Justice Programs is the largest grantmaking component of the Department of Justice and houses the Department’s criminal and juvenile justice-related science, statistics, and programmatic agencies. OJP provides federal leadership, funding, training and technical assistance, research and statistics, and other critical resources to advance work that strengthens community safety, promotes civil rights and racial equity, increases access to justice, supports crime victims and individuals impacted by the justice system, and builds trust between law enforcement and communities.

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Lower Brule, South Dakota, man convicted of Escape from Custody. The sentencing took place on January 3, 2024.

Dillon Bagola, age 31, was sentenced to 12 months and one day in federal prison, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Once released from custody he will have to serve five years of supervised release relating to his prior federal sexual assault conviction.

Bagola was indicted by a federal grand jury in August of 2023. He pleaded guilty on October 2, 2023.

The conviction stemmed from an incident on July 25, 2023, when Bagola, who was residing at the Community Alternatives of the Black Hills, in Rapid City, South Dakota, to finish a federal sentence, escaped from that facility. His whereabouts were unknown until he was apprehended on August 4, 2023, in Lower Brule.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case.

Bagola was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced an Eagle Butte, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on January 3, 2024.

Jeremiah Iron Moccasin, age 39, was sentenced to 13 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100, and forfeiture of the firearm.

Iron Moccasin was indicted by a federal grand jury in July of 2023. He pleaded guilty on October 2, 2023.

The conviction stemmed from an incident on March 24, 2023, when Iron Moccasin was placed under arrest on a tribal warrant with the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services.  Once at the jail, Iron Moccasin and his backpack were searched. Officers recovered a small baggie of methamphetamine, two syringes with methamphetamine, and an Arminius HW7, GmbH .22 revolver. Iron Moccasin admitted to being a methamphetamine user for the last several years. This makes him a prohibited person.

This case was investigated by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Iron Moccasin was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

 

 

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Mission, South Dakota, man convicted of Domestic Assault by a Habitual Offender. The sentencing took place on January 3, 2024.

John Red Bird, age 41, was sentenced to two years and six months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Red Bird was indicted by a federal grand jury in May of 2023.  He pleaded guilty on October 10, 2023.

On April 15, 2023, Red Bird got into an argument with his intimate partner at their shared residence in Mission, and he struck her in the face multiple times. A family member called 911 and Red Bird was subsequently arrested by Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services officers. At the time of this incident, Red Bird had six prior convictions in Rosebud Sioux Tribal Court for domestic assaults against the same intimate partner. 

This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.

Red Bird was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Mission, South Dakota, woman convicted of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury. The sentencing took place on December 18, 2023.

Selena Pretty Bird, age 26, was sentenced to two years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Pretty Bird was indicted for Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury by a federal grand jury in July of 2023. She pleaded guilty on September 25, 2023.

In the morning of November 24, 2022, Pretty Bird, her sister, her mother, and two juveniles responded to a call from Pretty Bird’s brother. Pretty Bird’s brother mistakenly reported that a female had assaulted him and vandalized his vehicle. When Pretty Bird arrived at her brother’s location, an argument began between her and the female. The argument escalated to Pretty Bird and others assaulting the victim. As a result of the assault, the victim suffered a broken left arm that required surgery and a scalp laceration that required staples.

This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.

This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Abby Roesler prosecuted the case.

Pretty Bird was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on December 18, 2023.

Katrina Green, 39, was sentenced to 10 years and eight months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Green, along with four co-conspirators, was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in March of 2023. Green pleaded guilty on September 22, 2023, and her co-defendants, Janet Mallet and Tara Clayton, both of Sioux Falls, pleaded guilty on August 21, 2023, and November 15, 2022, respectively. Mallet was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment on November 27, 2023, and Clayton is set to be sentenced on February 12, 2024. The remaining co-defendants Frank Baker and Amber Justus have not pleaded guilty to the charge and are currently set for trial in February. They are presumed innocent.

Green and her co-conspirators obtained methamphetamine from out of state and would re-distribute it in the Sioux Falls area. Green herself was held accountable for the distribution of at least 17 pounds of meth. In February of 2023, Green provided two ounces of methamphetamine to a co-conspirator who then sold the methamphetamine to a confidential informant who was working with law enforcement to conduct a controlled buy. 

This case was investigated by the Sioux Falls Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.

Green was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

 

 

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Rosebud, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on December 19, 2023.

Anthony Edward Farmer, age 39, was sentenced to two years and two months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Farmer was indicted by a federal grand jury in August of 2023.  He pleaded guilty on October 12, 2023.

Farmer was convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact With a Child in 2010. As a result of this conviction, he is required to register as a sex offender and to update his registration within three business days of relocation or changing employment. In March of 2023, Farmer was released from prison and began a period of supervised release. At that time, he appropriately updated his sex offender registration to reflect he was residing at a residence in Rosebud. Farmer subsequently moved out of his registered address, but he did not update his sex offender registration. Farmer was arrested by Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services officers following a traffic stop in Rosebud on June 9, 2023. 

This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

Farmer was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced Rosebud, South Dakota, man convicted of Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding a Federal Officer. The sentencing took place on December 19, 2023.

Jeffery Yellow Hawk, age 34, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.  

Yellow Hawk was indicted by a federal grand jury in July of 2023.  He pleaded guilty on October 23, 2023.

On the evening June 16, 2023, Yellow Hawk was operating a motor vehicle in the Rosebud area when he approached a sobriety checkpoint. Yellow Hawk performed an illegal U-turn to avoid the sobriety checkpoint and drove away. Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services officers pursued Yellow Hawk to his residence. Upon arrival to his residence, Yellow Hawk ignored commands from the pursuing officers and carried two firearms into his residence. Yellow Hawk subsequently brandished a loaded firearm at the officers. A short time later, Yellow Hawk exited the residence and was placed under arrest. A loaded shotgun and a loaded rifle were seized from the residence. Yellow Hawk will forfeit ownership of the firearms and ammunition.

This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.   

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Yellow Hawk was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno has sentenced a Mission, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault by Striking, Beating, and Wounding. The sentencing took place on December 20, 2023.

Sewell Fool Bull, age 38, was sentenced to 12 months in federal prison, followed by one year of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $25 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Fool Bull was indicted by a federal grand jury in March of 2023.  He pleaded guilty on October 23, 2023.

The conviction stems from an incident that occurred on January 31, 2023, wherein Fool Bull assaulted his intimate partner at a residence in St. Francis, South Dakota, by striking her in the face. 

This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.

This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.

Fool Bull was ordered to self-surrender to the U.S. Marshals Service by January 2, 2024.

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Fort Dodge, Iowa, man charged with Theft of Government Funds pleaded guilty to and was sentenced on December 18, 2023, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.

Clarence Soper, age 64, was sentenced to three years of probation, and ordered to pay $13,372 in restitution to the Social Security Administration and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

After a cancer diagnosis in 2010, Soper was awarded Title II Disability Insurance Benefits through the Social Security Administration (SSA). When Soper was advised of the receipt of benefits, he was also advised of significant life events that would need to be reported, such as any change in employment or medical status, as these changes may impact his benefits. SSA completed a review of Soper’s file in 2020 after Soper received a “cancer free” diagnosis.  Based on the review, Soper was notified his benefits would cease in November. Soper requested a reconsideration and his benefits resumed in December. Soper remained cancer free and began working while his file was under reconsideration. Soper did not report his medical status nor his employment status to SSA while he continued to receive Disability Insurance Benefits.  

The investigation was conducted by the Office of the Inspector General. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Abby Roesler. 

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Fort Thompson, South Dakota, man convicted of Failing to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on December 18, 2023.

Michael Lovejoy, age 41, was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

Lovejoy was indicted by a federal grand jury in December of 2022. He pleaded guilty on September 25, 2023.

Lovejoy is required to register as a sex offender under federal law. Lovejoy registered an address in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, with tribal authorities in early September of 2022 following his release from prison. In mid-September, Lovejoy moved to McLaughlin, South Dakota, where he disregarded several warnings from his probation officer and tribal authorities to update his registration. Lovejoy then absconded to Fort Thompson, South Dakota. Lovejoy did not update his registration until his arrest for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender in May of 2023.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities and measuring the results.

This case was investigated by the U.S Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.

Lovejoy was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments.

Anahi Plascencia Cardona, 34, was sentenced on December 21, 2023, for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance, to 22 years and one month in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $200. 

Anahi’s husband, Salvador Magana Madrigal, age 41, was sentenced on August 7, 2023, to 33 years and four months in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $200.

Oscar Madrigal, age 30, was sentenced on July 27, 2022, to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Oscar Madrigal is Salvador Magana Madrigal’s brother.

Rosa Elena Magana Madrigal, age 65, was sentenced on August 15, 2022, to five years in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Rosa is the mother of Salvador Magana Madrigal and Oscar Madrigal.

Maria D. Magana-Zavala, age 53, was sentenced on December 27, 2022, to five years and 10 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Magana-Zavala is the sister of Rosa Madrigal.

William Burt Hartwick, age 54, was sentenced on November 21, 2022, to five years and 10 months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Hartwick is the husband of Magana-Zavala.

All six defendants were indicted by a federal grand jury in the summer of 2021. Oscar Madrigal pleaded guilty on April 4, 2022; Rosa Madrigal pleaded guilty on May 25, 2022; William Hartwick pleaded guilty on August 30, 2022; and Maria Magana-Zavala pleaded guilty on October 4, 2022. Salvador Magana Madrigal and Anahi Plascencia Cardona were found guilty of conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and conspiracy to commit money laundering following a four-day federal jury trial in Sioux Falls on May 2, 2023.

The conviction stemmed from activities that started when Salvador Madrigal and Anahi Cardona, who are husband and wife, recruited other members of Madrigal’s family to assist them in obtaining large amounts of methamphetamine from California and distributing it in Sioux Falls. Salvador Madrigal and Cardona recruited Madrigal’s aunt and uncle, Maria Magana Zavala and William Hartwick, to transport methamphetamine by vehicle from California. Eventually, Salvador’s brother Oscar became involved in the conspiracy by assisting his brother in transporting and counting shipments of methamphetamine. In total, they obtained and distributed over 150 pounds of methamphetamine and 100 pounds of marijuana throughout the duration of the conspiracy.

Salvador Madrigal, Jr. and Cardona, along with Salvador’s mother, Rosa Madrigal, also intentionally conspired to knowingly conduct wire/money transfers which involved the proceeds of unlawful activities. The group conducted numerous financial transactions intended to transfer the proceeds from methamphetamine sales while concealing the nature and ownership of the money. Agents believe the group laundered over $1,000,000 of drug proceeds. At the time of their arrest, Cardona and Madrigal had approximately $215,000 stored in the garage of their home.

“This multi-defendant conspiracy case is yet another example of the impactful work the U.S. Attorney’s Office is doing alongside its law enforcement partners to dismantle drug organizations in South Dakota,” said Alison J. Ramsdell, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota. “We are especially grateful to our partners in the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the IRS-Criminal Investigations for their collaboration to bring down this family drug operation that brought more than 150 pounds of methamphetamine into our communities.”

“A 265-month sentence sends a strong message that trafficking drugs into our communities will not be tolerated," said IRS Criminal Investigation’s (CI) Assistant Special Agent in Charge Melissa McFadden, St. Louis Field Office. “When criminals launder their ill-gotten funds to hide the source of their crimes, the special agents of CI take pride in uncovering the money trail that leads to the source and helps put a stop to the drug trafficking operation.”

This case was investigated by the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the IRS-Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.

All defendants were immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service following their respective sentencings.

 

 

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced an Eagle Butte, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on December 18, 2023.

Rydell Iron Rope, age 50, was sentenced to two years and six months prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Iron Rope was indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender by a federal grand jury in July of 2023. He pleaded guilty on September 15, 2023.

On September 30, 1996, Iron Rope was convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor. Iron Rope was subsequently convicted of Commission of a Sexual Offense While Registered as a Sexual Offender on June 16, 2008. As a result of these convictions, Iron Rope must maintain his registration for the rest of his life, including updating his registration within three business days of a change of residence address, employment, or student status. Iron Rope returned to Eagle Butte on April 10, 2023, after being convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender in North Dakota. Iron Rope registered an address on the south side of Eagle Butte with the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act Compliance Office. It was later discovered that Iron Rope had relocated to a different address in Eagle Butte without properly updating his registration.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

This case was investigated by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Abby Roesler prosecuted the case.

Iron Rope was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

 

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced an Eagle Butte, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on December 19, 2023.

Raymond Leon Blue Arm, age 51, was sentenced to 20 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Blue Arm was indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender by a federal grand jury in September of 2023. He pleaded guilty on October 23, 2023.

In 1996, Blue Arm was convicted in North Dakota state court of Gross Sexual Imposition. In 2015, Blue Arm was convicted of Rape in Standing Rock Tribal Court. Both convictions require him to register as a sex offender and to update his registration within three business days of relocation or changing employment. In 2020, Blue Arm was convicted in U.S. District Court in North Dakota of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. In March of 2023, Blue Arm properly registered as a sex offender on the Standing Rock Reservation in North Dakota. By July of 2023, Blue Arm began residing in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, but he did not update his sex offender registration and remained out of compliance until August 7, 2023.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Venhuizen prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

Blue Arm was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

 

 

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Long Beach, California, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on December 18, 2023.

Jamaul Carter, a/k/a Mud, a/k/a Mudd Roll, age 35, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison, followed by seven years of supervised release, a $1,000 fine, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

Carter was indicted by a federal grand jury in October of 2022. He pleaded guilty on August 21, 2023.

The conviction stemmed from a drug conspiracy beginning in September of 2021 and continuing until November of 2022, when Carter was involved with several other individuals to distribute methamphetamine in and around the central South Dakota area, including on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. Carter was the source of supply of methamphetamine in California for several individuals in South Dakota. Carter would ship multiple pound quantities or personally deliver multiple pound quantities of methamphetamine to these various individuals on the reservation where the drugs were then distributed on the reservation. During the course of the conspiracy Carter conspired to distribute over 100 pounds of methamphetamine. Methamphetamine is a Schedule II controlled substance.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, the FBI’s Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, the Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case.

Carter was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

 

 

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a jury has convicted Vincent Alberto Barrios, age 42, of Box Elder, South Dakota, of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet, Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet, Receipt of Child Pornography, and Attempted Receipt of Child Pornography following a three-day jury trial in federal district court in Rapid City, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on December 21, 2023.

The Sexual Exploitation charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years up to 30 years in custody; the Enticement charges carry a mandatory minimum of 10 years up to life in prison; and the Receipt of Child Pornography charges carry a mandatory minimum of five years up to 20 years in custody. Each conviction carries the possible maximum of a $250,000 fine, a term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. 

Barrios was indicted by a federal grand jury in August of 2023. 

Evidence at trial established that Barrios was arrested as a result of an undercover sex trafficking operation conducted during the 2023 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, targeting internet predators.  Following multiple chats and sexually explicit text messages with a person Barrios believed to be a 13-year-old girl, but who was in fact an undercover agent, Barrios proceeded to negotiate a time and place he would meet the minor to engage in unlawful sex acts. When Barrios went to the pre-determined location to meet the minor, he was instead met by law enforcement agents and placed under arrest. During this time Barrios was also chatting with two other undercover agents Barrios believed to be 14-year-old girls. After a review of Barrios’ phone, law enforcement located a text message conversation with a local 14-year-old female and child pornography.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

This case was investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, HSI, and the the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins prosecuted the case.

A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing date has not been set. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

 

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a Waubay, South Dakota, woman convicted of Embezzlement and Theft from an Indian Tribal Organization and Aiding and Abetting. The sentencing took place on December 11, 2023, in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

Kayline Joy LaBelle, age 46, was sentenced to five years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. She was ordered to pay $203,283.13 in restitution and $100 as a statutorily required special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

LaBelle was indicted for Embezzlement and Theft from an Indian Tribal Organization and Aiding and Abetting by a federal grand jury in July 2023. She pleaded guilty on September 11, 2023.

According to court documents, between 2018 and 2022, LaBelle and others embezzled more than $150,000 belonging to the Buffalo Lake District of the Sisseton-Wahpeton Oyate Sioux Tribe, an Indian Tribal Organization. LaBelle was aided and abetted by Elaine Blanche King, Duane Randy LaBelle, Jr., Jacenta Rae Varns, and Shayline Lena Max.

LaBelle was the elected treasurer of the Buffalo Lake District and stole checks from the tribal organization. LaBelle then cashed those stolen checks at various vendors, businesses, and casinos, and she also distributed those stolen checks to her co-defendants. LaBelle used the funds for personal expenditures and her use was unauthorized and unlawful. LaBelle served as the treasurer until she resigned in September 2022.  Her conduct, acts, and omissions resulted in approximately $205,000 in losses to the district and tribe. 

Elaine Blanche King and Jacenta Rae Varns have pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. The cases against Duane Randy LaBelle, Jr. and Shayline Lena Max are pending in federal court.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy R. Jehangiri is prosecuting the case.

LaBelle will have to surrender on December 26, 2023, to begin serving her sentence.

This case was brought pursuant to the Guardians Project, a federal law enforcement initiative to coordinate efforts between participating agencies, to promote citizen disclosure of public corruption, fraud, and embezzlement involving federal program funds, contracts, and grants, and to hold accountable those who are responsible for adversely affecting those living in South Dakota’s Indian country communities. The Guardians Project is another step of federal law enforcement’s on-going efforts to increase engagement, coordination, and positive action on behalf of tribal communities. Led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the participating agencies include: the FBI; the Offices of Inspector General for the Departments of Interior, Health and Human Services, Social Security Administration, Agriculture, Transportation, Education, Justice, and Housing and Urban Development; IRS Criminal Investigation; U.S. Postal Inspection Service; and the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General.

For additional information about the Guardians Project, please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (605) 330-4400. To report a suspected crime, please contact law enforcement at the federal agency’s locally listed telephone number.

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Wanblee, South Dakota, man convicted of one count of Aggravated Sexual Abuse and two counts of Sexual Abuse. The sentencing took place on December 15, 2023.

Anthony Red Elk, 34, was sentenced to three terms of life imprisonment and ordered to pay a total of $300 in special assessments to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. The life imprisonment sentences shall be served concurrently.

Red Elk was indicted for the charges by a federal grand jury in November of 2021. He was found guilty following a federal jury trial in Rapid City, South Dakota, in July of 2023.

The convictions relate to Red Elk sexually assaulting a ten-year-old girl at Wanblee, on the Pine Ridge Reservation, while the young girl babysat Red Elk’s child in his home. Red Elk then sexually abused the same female in 2018 and again in 2019 at Wanblee, after she had reached the age of 18. Red Elk threatened her should she tell anyone and taunted her that no one would believe her if she came forward.

Red Elk previously worked at the Crazy Horse School in Wanblee as a basketball coach, bus driver, and custodian. He also worked in a juvenile detention facility. He was fired from the Crazy Horse School in January of 2019, for sending sexually explicit Facebook messages to a student.

This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox prosecuted and tried the case.

Red Elk was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

 

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Sisseton, South Dakota man, convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact by Force. The sentencing took place on December 11, 2023, in Pierre, South Dakota.

Ira Alan Arias, age 48, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay $100 as a statutorily required special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Arias was indicted for Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Child by a federal grand jury in April of 2018. He pleaded guilty on October 23, 2023.

According to court documents, on or about May 3, 2015, Arias forcefully engaged in three sexual acts with the victim, who was 14 years old at the time of the sexual abuse. The sexual abuse occurred in a hotel room in Codington County. 

This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeremy R. Jehangiri prosecuted the case.

Arias was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service to continue serving his sentence.

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced an Ideal, South Dakota, man convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor. The sentencing took place on December 11, 2023.

Braeden McLean, age 21, was sentenced to all time served through January 17, 2024, equal to approximately 10 months in custody, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

McLean was indicted by a federal grand jury in May of 2023. He pleaded guilty on September 14, 2023.

The conviction stems from conduct that occurred in March of 2023 in Tripp County, South Dakota, wherein McLean engaged in a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl. The girl’s family subsequently became aware of the relationship and reported McLean to the Winner Police Department.

This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.

This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Winner Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.   

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

McLean was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced four Todd County, South Dakota men in a case that involved charges of Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding a Federal Officer and Using and Carrying a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence.

Kevin Bordeaux, age 24, of Mission, South Dakota, pleaded guilty on May 15, 2023, to Assault With a Dangerous Weapon; Assaulting, Resisting and Impeding a Federal Officer; and Using and Carrying a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence. On August 17, 2023, Bordeaux was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Carston Eagle Deer, age 22, of Rosebud, South Dakota, pleaded guilty on August 14, 2023, to two counts of Assaulting, Resisting and Impeding a Federal Officer; and one count of Using and Carrying a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence. On November 13, 2023, he was sentenced to 10 years and six months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crimes Victim Fund.

Gervis Fool Bull, age 29, of Mission, South Dakota, pleaded guilty on May 22, 2023, to Assaulting, Resisting and Impeding a Federal Officer and Aiding and Abetting; and Obstructing Justice by Retaliating Against a Witness. On August 14, 2023, Fool Bull was sentenced to six years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Julian Moran, a/k/a Jullian Moran, age 29, of Mission, South Dakota, pleaded guilty on May 22, 2023, to Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding a Federal Officer and Aiding and Abetting. On December 11, 2023, Moran was sentenced to all time served through December 21, 2023, equal to approximately 18 months in custody, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. 

The defendants were further ordered to pay restitution of $8,081.40, jointly and severally, for damage caused to a Tripp County Sheriff’s Office vehicle.

On the evening of July 6, 2022, Bordeaux got into a confrontation with his girlfriend at a residence in Todd County. Bordeaux produced a handgun and fired a single shot, striking his girlfriend in the area of her right hip. Bordeaux then departed the scene in a vehicle with Eagle Deer. A short time later, Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services (RSTLES) officers responded to a call for service from a provider at the Rosebud Indian Health Service (IHS) Hospital in Rosebud, who reported a woman had just arrived at the hospital after being shot by Bordeaux. The officers obtained a description of Bordeaux’s vehicle but were not able to locate him that evening.

On the morning of July 8, 2022, RSTLES officers were patrolling in Mission when they observed Bordeaux’s vehicle parked near an apartment building. Moran was standing next to the vehicle, Bordeaux was in the driver seat, Eagle Deer was in the front passenger seat, and Fool Bull was in the rear passenger seat. The officers approached and ordered Moran to show his hands. Moran refused commands and instead got into the rear passenger seat of the vehicle. Bordeaux then started the vehicle and drove away. The RSTLES officers pursued Bordeaux’s vehicle at high speeds from Mission heading east on U.S. Highway 18. The pursuit continued onto a gravel road, at which point Bordeaux and Eagle Deer produced handguns and began firing at the pursuing officers. Bordeaux and Eagle Deer then threw their handguns out the window. As the pursuit approached Winner, South Dakota, the RSTLES officers coordinated with deputies from the Tripp County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) and officers from the Winner Police Department. Moran and Fool Bull threw items from the vehicle during the pursuit for the purpose of obstructing and interfering with the pursuing officers. During the pursuit, Bordeaux rammed a TCSO vehicle. The pursuit ended when a TCSO vehicle made contact with Bordeaux’s vehicle, causing it to spin out of control and into the ditch.  All four defendants were placed under arrest.

On October 17, 2022, Fool Bull was in pretrial detention in the Winner City Jail when he approached another inmate and assaulted that inmate for providing information to law enforcement.

In January of 2023, Eagle Deer was on pretrial release when an arrest warrant was issued for violating the conditions of his release and absconding from supervision. Eagle Deer’s whereabouts were subsequently unknown until May 13, 2023. On the morning of May 13, 2023, a RSTLES officer was patrolling in Mission when he observed Eagle Deer’s vehicle. Eagle Deer attempted to drive away but became stuck. Eagle Deer ignored the officer’s commands to surrender and instead fled his vehicle on foot. The officer caught up to Eagle Deer after a short pursuit, but Eagle Deer physically resisted and attempted to put the officer in a headlock. The officer subsequently escorted Eagle Deer to the ground and placed him under arrest. 

This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.

This case was investigated by the FBI, RSTLES, TCSO, and the Winner Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

Bordeaux, Eagle Deer, Fool Bull, and Moran were immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service at the conclusion of their individual sentencings.

 

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Fort Thompson, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on December 11, 2023.

Mark Fleury, age 48, was sentenced to six months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Fleury was indicted by a federal grand jury in July of 2023. He pleaded guilty on September 14, 2023.

Fleury was convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact in 2004. As a result of this conviction, he is required to register as a sex offender and to update his registration within three business days of relocation or changing employment. On May 13, 2023, Fleury moved from his registered address in Fort Thompson to an address in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, but he did not update his sex offender registration. Fleury moved back to Fort Thompson on or about May 31, 2023, at which time he updated his registration. 

This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

Fleury was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, man convicted of three counts of First Degree Murder, three counts of Discharge of a Firearm During a Crime of Violence, and one count of Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on December 14, 2023.

Elijah West, age 26, was sentenced to life in prison on each count of First-Degree Murder and an additional ten years for each firearm charge, all to run consecutively. In total, West received three life sentences plus an additional 30 years’ custody. West was also ordered to pay a $700 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. 

In the evening hours of January 4 into the early hours of January 5, 2022, West entered a trailer near Wounded Knee, South Dakota, where a group of people had gathered around a kitchen table to visit. West briefly spoke with the group before he removed a firearm from his waistband and, completely unprovoked, fired upon and killed three innocent people. West then ordered a fourth person at gun point to find him a ride to a separate residence in Manderson, South Dakota. After arriving at that residence, West left with another individual. As soon as West left, the party called 911 to report the shooting. West was arrested in the early hours of January 5, 2022, and law enforcement recovered the murder weapon in his possession.

West was indicted by a federal grand jury in January of 2022 and was found guilty on all charges by a jury following a five-day jury trial in Rapid City in September 2023.

“This case stands out as a particularly heinous example of human depravity,” said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell. “The defendant committed unspeakable acts of violence for which no sentence would ever be sufficient, but we hope these three life sentences, which must be served consecutively, give the victims’ families some measure of closure as they grieve the senseless loss of their loved ones. We are grateful to our partners at the FBI and the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s Department of Public Safety for their relentless investigative efforts.”

"It is our duty to bring justice and answers to grieving Tribal communities,” said FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. “The investigation of West, and his life sentences, stand as a testament to the collaboration and dedication of the FBI, the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigation Division, and the United States Attorney’s Office to bring justice to victims of violent crimes in Indian County. The FBI and its partners will investigate and hold accountable those who show such a callous disregard for innocent lives."

This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah B. Collins and Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.

West was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

 

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a jury has convicted Loren Goodlow, age 34, of Ft. Thompson, South Dakota, of eight counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor, two counts of Abusive Sexual Contact, two counts of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Attempted Receipt of Child Pornography, and Tampering with a Witness following a three-day jury trial in federal district court in Rapid City, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on December 7, 2023.

The defendant faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years up to a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. Each count of conviction also carries a maximum fine of $250,000, a term of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. 

Goodlow was indicted by a federal grand jury in April of 2023. 

Evidence at trial established that on March 18, 2023, Goodlow engaged in sexual acts with two minor females who had attained the age of 12 years old but not attained the age of 16 while on the Pine Ridge Reservation. Goodlow also enticed one of the minors in December of 2022 and engaged in sexual acts with the minor between December 26, 2022, and January 16, 2023. After the minor disclosed in March of 2023, Goodlow attempted to tamper with one of the witnesses over Facebook Messenger, by repeatedly telling the minor to recant the disclosure. The investigation also revealed that on December 8, 2021, Goodlow enticed another minor female and attempted to receive child pornography.

The acts of enticement and receipt of child pornography all occurred over the social media application of Snapchat.

This case was investigated by the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case.

A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing date has not been set. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

 

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced an Eagle Butte, South Dakota man convicted of Second Degree Burglary. The sentencing took place on December 11, 2023.

Melvin Bagola III, age 23, was sentenced to 12 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, restitution of $5,760.67, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. The 12 month sentence of imprisonment runs consecutive to a seven month sentence imposed for Bagola’s violation of his federal supervised release in another case.

Bagola was indicted by a federal grand jury in February of 2023. He pleaded guilty to Second Degree Burglary on July 10, 2023.

On September 15, 2022, Deputy U.S. Marshals attempted to arrest Bagola in Eagle Butte for violating his supervised release. When Bagola saw the deputy marshals, he fled into an occupied home and slammed the front door. When a deputy marshal entered the home to arrest him, Bagola leapt out an open window and sprinted into another occupied home. The deputy marshals set up a perimeter around the second house. Bagola refused to leave until the officers broke the home’s windows and prepared to saturate it with OC gas. Bagola then surrendered peaceably.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service and Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.

SIOUX FALLS – Alison J. Ramsdell, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota and Chair of the Attorney General’s Native American Issues Subcommittee, participated in a panel discussion at the White House Tribal Nations Summit in Washington, D.C., on December 6, 2023. The panel, moderated by Deb Haaland, Secretary of the United States Department of Interior, focused on the Department of Justice’s engagement with tribes throughout the nation, as well as the Department’s response to recently published recommendations of the Not Invisible Act Commission (NIAC).

 

Speaking at the Tribal Nations Summit, U.S. Attorney Ramsdell noted it has long been a priority of the Department of Justice to address the disproportionately high rates of violence experienced by American Indians and Alaska Natives, and relatedly, the high rates of Indigenous persons reported missing. The Department does so through the work of U.S. Attorney’s Offices (USAOs), which assign Assistant U.S. Attorneys (AUSAs) to prosecute federal crimes occurring in Indian country. Working with federal, tribal, state, and local law enforcement, AUSAs prosecute a range of violent crime, including murder, assault, sexual abuse, and domestic violence, as well as drug trafficking. USAOs further serve Indian country by convening monthly Multidisciplinary Team meetings to address cases involving child abuse with various community stakeholders, including law enforcement, social services providers, and medical personnel. At the invitation of tribal leadership, local law enforcement, and school administrators, USAOs also conduct extensive outreach with tribal partners, from addressing tribal councils and assisting in training efforts to making presentations at school assemblies.

 

As it relates to the topic at the center of the NIAC’s Report—Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP)—U.S. Attorney Ramsdell discussed the newly created MMIP Regional Outreach Program, which permanently places Assistant U.S. Attorneys and coordinators in five designated regions across the nation. USAOs will support the MMIP Regional Outreach Program and leverage the MMIP AUSAs and Coordinators to assist in resolving cases where federal jurisdiction exists and bridging gaps in communication that sometimes develop between federal, tribal, state, and local partners when an Indigenous person is reported missing.

U.S. Attorney Ramsdell also discussed the fact that all USAOs in federal judicial districts with Tribal lands, including Public Law 280 states, implemented Savanna’s Act guidelines in the Spring of 2022. These are law enforcement guidelines regarding interjurisdictional cooperation among law enforcement in cases related to missing persons. They set forth best practices in conducting missing persons searches; establish standards for the collection, reporting, and analysis of MMIP data and human remains; and ensure access to culturally appropriate victim services. Finally, U.S. Attorney Ramsdell discussed the Department’s work with individual tribes to develop Tribal Community Response Plans, which are cross-jurisdictional protocols that govern law enforcement responses to reports of missing persons within a Tribal community. Importantly, the process, which involves local and federal partners, is led by Tribes. This leadership role allows Tribes to incorporate culturally appropriate protocols in every aspect of their plans. USAOs and the MMIP Regional Outreach Program will support and assist Tribal communities who choose to develop their own TCRPs.

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Wounded Knee, South Dakota, man convicted of Aiding and Abetting Second Degree Murder. The sentencing took place on December 1, 2023.

Spencer High Hawk, 27, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

He was found guilty of Aiding and Abetting Second Degree Murder on September 8, 2023, following a four-day federal jury trial in Rapid City, South Dakota.  

The conviction stems from High Hawk beating another man to death near Wounded Knee in June of 2022.

This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.

This case was investigated by the FBI and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety Criminal Investigation Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case.

The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann sentenced a McLaughlin, South Dakota, man convicted of Assault of an Intimate Partner Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury. The sentencing took place on December 4, 2023.

Elias Glen Sims, age 19, was sentenced to two years and 10 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. 

Sims was indicted by a federal grand jury in January of 2023.  A Superseding Information was filed, and the defendant pleaded guilty on September 11, 2023.

The defendant was convicted of physically abusing his pregnant girlfriend in McLaughlin. On May 10, 2023, the defendant became angry and struck the victim about the body, strangled her, and punched her in the stomach. The defendant was 24 weeks pregnant at the time of the assault.

This matter was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office because the Major Crimes Act, a federal statute, mandates that certain violent crimes alleged to have occurred in Indian Country be prosecuted in Federal court as opposed to State court.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services, Standing Rock Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Troy R. Morley prosecuted the case.

Sims was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced an Arvin, California, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl, Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine, and Use of a Communication Facility in the Commission of a Drug Trafficking Crime. The sentencing took place on December 4, 2023.

Victor Leon-Pacheco, 33, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. The federal sentence runs consecutive to his remaining sentence in Oklahoma.

Leon-Pacheco was indicted for the charges by a federal grand jury in June of 2022. He was found guilty after a three-day federal jury trial concluding on September 7, 2023.

Leon-Pacheco is formerly from California. In 2016 he was convicted of trafficking methamphetamine in Oklahoma and sentenced to 18 years custody. While in a locked facility, he gained access to a contraband cell phone which he utilized to conduct drug trafficking activities. He arranged drug sales to people in several states, including South Dakota.  Leon-Pacheco then recruited others in California, including co-defendant Eduardo Acosta, to accept payments for drug proceeds that were wired through money exchange services. This occurred multiple times between September of 2021 and January of 2022. Acosta also sent packages containing controlled substances to South Dakota at the direction of Leon-Pacheco. Law enforcement was able to introduce an undercover agent to whom Leon-Pacheco organized three shipments of fentanyl and methamphetamine. Leon-Pacheco’s co-defendant, Eduardo Acosta, was sentenced to 37 months in custody on August 11, 2023.

“This trial conviction and resulting sentence should send a clear message to out-of-state drug traffickers who think they can get away with distributing lethal drugs in South Dakota,” said Alison J. Ramsdell, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota. “I am grateful to the many investigative agencies who participated in this case through the local Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team and worked collaboratively to ensure Victor Leon-Pacheco remains in custody for another thirty years.”

This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team, which is a local drug task force comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard, as well as the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.

Leon-Pacheco was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Waubay, South Dakota, man convicted of Escape from Custody. The sentencing took place on November 28, 2023.

Levi Ambrose Locke, age 32, was sentenced to nine months in federal prison, followed by  two years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

Locke was indicted by a federal grand jury in May of 2023. He pleaded guilty on August 25, 2023.

The conviction stemmed from an incident on April 13, 2023, when Locke was in the custody of the Bureau of Prisons at Dismas Charities, an institutional facility located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Locke was at Dismas Charities based on a felony conviction. On April 13th, Locke left Dismas Charities to go work his shift at his place of employment, but instead of going to work, Locke escaped and did not return to the facility that same day as required.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ann M. Hoffman prosecuted the case.

Locke was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.