District of South Dakota

ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a man from Bullhead, South Dakota, who was convicted of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury. The sentencing took place on August 18, 2025.

Martin Joseph Taken Alive, age 32, was sentenced to three years  and six months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Taken Alive was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2025. He pleaded guilty on June 2, 2025.

On January 4, 2024, Taken Alive and the adult male victim were lounging in a home in Bullhead, South Dakota, within the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation. Both were heavily intoxicated and began to quarrel. Taken Alive drew a knife and slashed the victim across the chest, then fled the home. The wound was approximately six inches long and required hospitalization. Taken Alive turned himself in to law enforcement later that evening.

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. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.

Taken Alive 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 Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a man from Rapid City, South Dakota, who was convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing occurred on August 15, 2025.

Jayquan Flying Horse, 20, 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. 

Flying Horse was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person by a federal grand jury in February 2025. He pleaded guilty on May 5, 2025.

In December 2024, Rapid City police officers arrived at an apartment building in Rapid City for a weapons call. Flying Horse and two others were exiting the building when the police arrived. When officers asked for identification, Flying Horse attempted to avoid them and refused to identify himself. While an officer was attempting to identify Flying Horse, Flying Horse admitted he was carrying a Taurus, 9mm caliber, semi-automatic pistol. Flying Horse had previously been convicted of a felony, was on parole for a felony drug conviction, and knew that he was prohibited from possessing firearms pursuant to his parole agreement.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Through PSN, the District of South Dakota seeks to bring together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. 

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

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

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that a federal grand jury has indicted a woman from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for False Statement During the Purchase of a Firearm and False Statement to a Licensed Firearm Dealer.

“Keeping firearms out of the hands of those who are legally prohibited from possessing them is a top priority at the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Dakota,” said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell. “As this case demonstrates, lying to obtain a firearm for a convicted felon can have grave consequences. We are therefore committed to working with our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners to hold straw purchasers to account.”

Chardea Danies Odom, age 30, was indicted in August 2025. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy on August 14, 2025, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.

The indictment alleges that in June 2025, Odom purchased a firearm from a local, licensed firearm dealer. On the firearm purchase paperwork, Odom indicated she was the buyer of the firearm when in fact she was actually purchasing it for another person. That firearm was later used by a person prohibited from possessing guns in shootings in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, one of which involved law enforcement officers.

“This is how innocent people get hurt and officers end up staring down the barrel of a gun,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Travis Riddle. “When you straw purchase a firearm for a convicted felon, you are not just breaking the law, you are placing lives at risk. ATF will continue to pursue anyone who arms dangerous individuals. We are proud to stand beside the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the Sioux Falls Police Department, and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation on this case and the issue of straw purchasing.”

“The Sioux Falls Police Department thanks our State and Federal partners for their support in holding the suspects accountable for their actions,” said Sioux Falls Police Department Chief Jon Thum. “This event highlights the danger faced by the public and our officers when firearms end up in the wrong hands.”

“This defendant’s actions led to the lives of three law enforcement officers being threatened,” said South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley. “The investigation and arrest of this defendant was made possible thanks to the combined effort of several agencies.”

The maximum penalty upon conviction for False Statement During the Purchase of a Firearm is up to 10 years in federal custody and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered. The maximum penalty upon conviction for False Statement to a Licensed Firearm Dealer is up to 5 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, 3 years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.

The investigation is being led by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Connie Larson is prosecuting the case. 

Odom was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has not been set. The charge is merely an accusation, and Odom is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Shulte has sentenced a Rosebud, South Dakota, woman convicted of Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding a Federal Officer. The sentencing took place on August 11, 2025.

Jamie Leader Charge, age 32, was sentenced to time served in custody through August 23, 2025, equal to approximately four 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.

Leader Charge was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2024. She  pleaded guilty on May 12, 2025.

The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred on November 5, 2024, in St. Francis, South Dakota, within the Rosebud Indian Reservation. On that date, a Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services (RSTLES) officer responded to a report that Leader Charge was causing a disturbance at a residence in St. Francis. Upon arrival at the residence, the officer learned Leader Charge had an active tribal arrest warrant and placed her under arrest. Leader Charge resisted and kicked the officer.

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

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

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a woman from Eagle Butte, South Dakota, who was convicted of Voluntary Manslaughter. The sentencing took place on August 11, 2025.

Jaclyn Blue Coat, age 26, was sentenced to 11 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.

Blue Coat was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2024. She pleaded guilty on May 15, 2025.

On September 24, 2024, Blue Coat stabbed the father of her children with a knife in the left upper chest, causing his death. The incident occurred during an argument on the deck outside the victim’s residence in Dupree, South Dakota, within the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation.

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 Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Venhuizen prosecuted the case.

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

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a man from Eagle Butte, South Dakota, who was convicted of Sexual Abuse of a Minor. The sentencing took place on August 4, 2025.

Dion Michael Brown, age 55, 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. Brown will also be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

Brown was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2023. He pleaded guilty on April 21, 2025.

Between May 1, 2020, and October 2, 2022, Brown engaged in a sexual relationship with the victim while they were living in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, within the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation. During this period, Brown was between 50 and 52 years old, and the victim was between 13 and 15 years old.

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 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.

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

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

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that District Court Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Denver, Colorado, woman, convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on August 8, 2025.

Shelina Martinez, 34, was sentenced to five 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.

Martinez was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2024 for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. She pleaded guilty on May 21, 2025.

Between January 2022 and February 2024, Martinez was part of a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in South Dakota, including in the Rapid City area and within the Pine Ridge Reservation. During the conspiracy, large quantities of methamphetamine were transported from Denver, Colorado, to South Dakota, and Martinez assisted on occasion with the transportation of those drugs.

This case was investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, the Rapid City Police Department, the South Dakota Highway Patrol, the Wyoming State Highway Patrol, and the North Metro Denver Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.

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

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Gillette, Wyoming, man was acquitted of Transportation of a Minor with Intent to Engage in Criminal Sexual Activity and Aggravated Sexual Abuse with Children following a federal jury trial in Rapid City, South Dakota, on July 25, 2025.
Richard Wayne Gray, age 41, was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2024. The charges related to the alleged transportation of a minor across state lines to engage in a sexual act.
The investigation was conducted by the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office and the Campbell County Sheriff’s Office in Wyoming. The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case.

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Shulte has sentenced a man from Winner, South Dakota, who was convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact with a Child. The sentencing took place on August 5, 2025.

Clayton Spotted Calf, age 30, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Spotted Calf was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2024. He pleaded guilty on April 14, 2025.

The conviction stems from conduct that occurred between approximately April 2015 and June 2017 in Todd County, South Dakota, within the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. On more than one occasion during that period, Spotted Calf engaged in sexual contact with a child who was then between the ages of six and eight years old.

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 South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation and the FBI. 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.

Spotted Calf 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 Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on August 7, 2025.

Dorian Lester, 29, was sentenced to two years and nine 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.

Lester was indicted for Failure to Register as a Sex Offender by a federal grand jury in April 2025 and later pleaded guilty on May 19, 2025.

Lester is required to register as a sex offender for life because he was previously convicted of sexual abuse of a minor, where the victim was 12 years old. Federal law requires a sex offender to update his residence to the sex offender registry within three days of changing residence. Lester was released from custody from a separate sentence and failed to update the sex offender registry with his current residence. It is a violation of federal to fail to register as a sex offender.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted the case.

Lester 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 Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Receipt of a Firearm while Under Indictment. The sentencing took place on August 7, 2025.

Terrance Drapeaux, 31, was sentenced to one year and three 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.

Drapeaux was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person and Receipt of a Firearm while Under Indictment by a federal grand jury in March 2025. He pleaded guilty on May 19, 2025.

On December 4, 2024, Drapeaux was found by law enforcement with an active warrant for his arrest. Drapeaux resisted arrest and was discovered to have a firearm in his pocket. Before this date, Drapeaux had been charged elsewhere with a felony crime, which charge was still pending at the time he possessed the firearm. It is illegal for a person charged with a crime punishable beyond a year in prison to receive a firearm.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Through PSN, the District of South Dakota seeks to bring together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. 

This case was investigated by the ATF, the Rapid City Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted the case.

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

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that United States District Judge Karen Schreier has sentenced a man from Sioux Falls, SD, and a woman from Luverne, MN, for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering.

Sean Swiftbird, 27, was sentenced on April 22, 2025, to 11 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Laurie Swiftbird, age 67 and Sean’s mother, was sentenced on August 4, 2025, to two years in federal prison, followed by 3 years  of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

The two were indicted by a federal grand jury for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering in December 2023. Sean Swiftbird pleaded guilty on February 4, 2025. Laurie Swiftbird pleaded guilty on September 6, 2024.

Sean Swiftbird worked with others in Sioux Falls to distribute thousands of fentanyl pills over the course of 2023. Eventually, his mother Laurie became involved and assisted the conspiracy by accepting pill-laden packages at her home and dealing pills to customers. Both Sean and Laurie utilized the electronic payment system Cash App to accept proceeds related to the sale of fentanyl pills and to send those proceeds to their source. Throughout the Swiftbirds’ involvement, the conspiracy trafficked thousands of fentanyl pills in the Sioux Falls area.

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

Sean Swiftbird was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. Laurie Swiftbird was ordered to turn herself in by January 2026.  

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a man from Mobridge, South Dakota, who was convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on August 5, 2025.

Eric Traversie, age 28, was sentenced to ten 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.

Traversie was indicted for by a federal grand jury in February 2025. He pleaded guilty on April 30, 2025.

The conviction stemmed from a drug conspiracy that ran between April 2024 and February 2025 in which Traversie and other individuals conspired to distribute methamphetamine in and around the central South Dakota area, including within the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation. As part of the conspiracy, Traversie was involved in distributing between 1.5 and 5 kilograms of methamphetamine. Traversie was also involved in a traffic stop where law enforcement seized 237 grams of 99% pure methamphetamine.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

This case was investigated by the FBI,  Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, BIA, and Dewey County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Dilges prosecuted the case.

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

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, the Rapid City Police Department, the Ellsworth AFB Office of Special Investigations, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the FBI conducted a joint sex-trafficking and child exploitation operation during the 2025 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

“This sophisticated sting operation pulled together local, state, and federal law enforcement resources to take dangerous sexual predators off the streets and out of our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell. “We are fortunate here in South Dakota to have officers, agents, and detectives who collaborate each and every day to protect children throughout the state. Now that the operation has safely concluded, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is pleased to announce that four local men have been arrested and will be held to account in federal court.”

The operation resulted in federal charges against the following four men who were all separately arrested while attempting to meet with a person who they believed to be a 14-year-old girl for the purposes of engaging in sexual activity:

• Elmer Hopper, 36, Rapid City—charged with Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet.
• Beau Remington, 23, Black Hawk—charged with Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet and Attempted Transfer of Obscene Material to a Minor.
• Jayson “Javi” Gomez, 30, Rapid City—charged with Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet.
• Joshua Michael Allen, 36, Hermosa—charged with Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet.

“All the individuals who were arrested in this operation are South Dakota residents,” said South Dakota ICAC Task Force Commander Toby Russell. “This is a sad statistic for our state, but it is a reminder why these operations and investigations are so important. The level of support, cooperation, and teamwork between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies during this operation is unique and does not happen elsewhere. This operation is truly a team effort. All the law enforcement personnel who participated in this operation and the members of the South Dakota ICAC Task Force work tirelessly every day to keep the children of South Dakota safe. They should all be commended for their tenacity and professionalism in how they pursue these offenders.”

The mandatory minimum penalty upon conviction for Attempted Enticement of a Minor is 10 years up to life in federal prison, along with a minimum term of supervised release of five years up to life.

These cases are 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.

The cases are being federally prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox.

The charges are merely accusations, and all four defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange has sentenced a woman from Brandon, SD, who was convicted of Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute. The sentencing took place on August 4, 2025.

Wendy Faye Stricherz, 49, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Stricherz was indicted for Possession of a Controlled Substance with Intent to Distribute by a federal grand jury in January 2024. She pleaded guilty on May 8, 2025.

Investigators with the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force learned that Stricherz was traveling to Las Vegas, Nevada, to pick up methamphetamine that she then trafficked to others out of her home and at a local bar in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. In October 2023, investigators executed a search warrant at Stricherz’s home and found methamphetamine and distribution materials in both her home and in a vehicle in which she was traveling. Altogether, Stricherz is believed to have trafficked more than four pounds of methamphetamine in the Sioux Falls area.

This case was investigated by the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force, the South Dakota Highway Patrol, the Brandon Police Department, and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.

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

ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a man from Bullhead, South Dakota, convicted of Aggravated Sexual Abuse of a Minor and Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on August 4, 2025.

Travis Anthony Weasel, age 45, was sentenced to 30 years in prison and five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Weasel was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2023. He pleaded guilty on May 19, 2025.

Travis Weasel was convicted of Sexual Abuse of an Incapacitated Person in 2011 for having sexual intercourse with an unconscious woman at a house party in Bullhead, South Dakota, and encouraging an adolescent boy to join him in the “fun.” Following his most recent release from prison for this offense in May 2021, Weasel decided to stop registering as a sex offender. He did not register again until his arrest in February 2024.

On January 26, 2023, Weasel, destitute and homeless, asked a childhood friend if he could sleep for a few nights in a spare bedroom in the friend’s home in McIntosh, South Dakota. McIntosh is a community within the Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation. Weasel’s friend took pity on him and permitted him to stay. That evening, the friend’s 15-year-old daughter came to visit. Weasel first gave adulterated alcohol to his friend. When the friend passed out, Weasel shooed the other adults out of the home, opining they were too drunk to be around a child. Weasel then pressured and threatened the girl to drink the adulterated alcohol. She eventually relented, losing consciousness soon after she imbibed. When she woke, Weasel was having sexual intercourse with her in the spare bedroom. When the girl screamed to her father for help, Weasel told her he would kill her father and the family dog with her father’s handgun if she persisted. The girl pleaded for Weasel to stop, but he continued to rape her until ejaculation. The minor then ran to the living room to escape, but Weasel caught her by the backpack. The girl slipped the backpack from her shoulders and fled the home into the snow. Her grandmother found her later that night crying in a snowbank.

“Protecting children from sexual abuse is amongst our highest priorities at the U.S. Attorney’s Office,” said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell. “When we can prosecute these heinous crimes at the federal level, we are able to seek decades-long sentences without the possibility of parole, thereby achieving the justice these victims deserve and safeguarding our communities from sex offenders for years to come.”

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 also 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 FBI, the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services, and the United States Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.

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

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a woman from Rapid City, South Dakota, who was convicted of Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering. The sentencing took place on July 25, 2025.

Kiana Pilcher, 29, was sentenced to two years and 11 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.

Pilcher was indicted for Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering by a federal grand jury in April 2024. She pleaded guilty on May 5, 2025.

Pilcher worked with multiple individuals involved in a cocaine conspiracy to help them move money generated by the distribution of cocaine through electronic transactions. Pilcher and others deposited money into her bank account from drug proceeds and the account was then used to send the proceeds to drug sources in Texas. Investigators determined that approximately $90,000 in cash was deposited into Pilcher’s account through ATM deposits. Pilcher was also involved in the distribution of cocaine. While Pilcher was involved in the conspiracy, the group distributed over three kilograms of cocaine in the Rapid City area.

This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET) and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), Division of Criminal Investigation. UNET is comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, the Rapid City Police Department, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.

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

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a man from Rapid City, South Dakota, who was convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on July 25, 2025.

Andre Gibson, 46, was sentenced to 17 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.

Gibson was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in May 2024. He pleaded guilty on May 9, 2025.

Gibson received multiple packages of methamphetamine through the United States Mail Service from surrounding states and worked with others to sell the methamphetamine within South Dakota.  Working with others from outside of South Dakota, Gibson ultimately distributed between 1.5 and 5 kilograms (between 3 and 11 pounds) of methamphetamine in the Rapid City area.

“More and more often, criminals are shipping narcotics through the U.S. mail system,” said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell. “Fortunately, our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners are highly skilled at intercepting these packages and tracking down suspects, thereby allowing the U.S. Attorney’s Office to secure federal convictions and pursue significant prison sentences, just as we did against Andre Gibson.”

This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the South Dakota Highway Patrol, the Rapid City Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward C. Tarbay prosecuted the case.

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

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Shulte, has sentenced a man from Fort Thompson, South Dakota, who had been convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on July 29, 2025.

Stuart Dion, age 41, was sentenced to time served through August 4, 2025, equal to 11.5 months in custody, followed by five years of supervise release, and ordered to pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

Dion was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2025.  He pleaded guilty on July 14, 2025.

Dion is required to register as a sex offender under federal law due to a prior federal conviction for Sexual Abuse of a Minor. Dion has been convicted of Failure to Register in the past. Following his release from prison on the most recent conviction, Dion registered an address in Ft. Thompson, SD, on the Crow Creek Sioux Indian Reservation in March 2024. On April 11, 2024, Dion moved from his registered address and knowingly failed to update his registration with authorities as required by law.   

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 U.S. Marshal’s Service.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Dilges prosecuted the case.

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a woman from Pierre, South Dakota, who had been convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on July 21, 2025.

Misty Stahlhoefer, age 42, was sentenced to 21 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.

Stahlhoefer was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2024. She pleaded guilty on April 14, 2025. Her conviction stemmed from a drug distribution conspiracy beginning in June 2023 and continuing until September 2024. Misty Stahlhoefer and co-defendant Heather Stahlhoefer were the source of supply to several other individuals in the Pierre area. The Stahlhoefers would acquire up to one pound of methamphetamine per trip to be further distributed by themselves and others including Whitney Marrowbone, Wendy Mealer, Brent Larvie, David Rinehart, and Heath Choal. The conspiracy involved between 30 and 35 pounds of methamphetamine.

“Thanks to the collaborative efforts of the FBI’s Northern Plains Safe Trails Task Force, the Pierre Police Department, the Chamberlain Police Department, and the Lyman County Sheriff’s Office, Misty Stahlhoefer and her local co-conspirators are facing significant time in federal prison for pushing drugs that are ravaging our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell. “Drug traffickers should take note that in South Dakota, they will be met with the full force of law enforcement—federal, state, local, and tribal—and unrelenting federal prosecution out of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.”

“For years, Misty Stahlhoefer distributed illegal drugs in the Pierre, SD area,” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Alvin M. Winston Sr. “Stahlhoefer will pay dearly for her reprehensible conduct. Those who choose to harm our community by enriching themselves and leading others to drug addiction will pay a heavy price. The FBI and our law enforcement partners will do everything in our power to rid our communities of illegal drugs.”

The co-defendants were earlier sentenced to federal prison as follows:

•    Heather Stahlhoefer was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison. 
•    Marrowbone was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison.
•    Mealer was sentenced to six years in federal prison.
•    Larvie was sentenced to four years and six months in federal prison. 
•    Rinehart was sentenced to two years in federal prison.  

The seventh co-defendant, Heath Choal, is scheduled to be sentenced on September 2, 2025.

This case was investigated by the FBI’s Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, the Pierre Police Department, the Chamberlain Police Department, and the Lyman County Sheriff’s Office. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Dilges.

Stahlhoefer 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 Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Mexican man convicted of Illegal Reentry after Deportation. The sentencing took place on July 23, 2025.

Francisco Jimenez-Grijalva, 31, was sentenced to time served and ordered to be removed from the United States.

Jimenez-Grijalva was indicted for Illegal Reentry after Deportation by a federal grand jury in May 2025. He pleaded guilty on June 6, 2025.

Jimenez-Grijalva, a non-citizen of the United States and a Mexican national, was deported from the United States to Mexico in 2015 and was found back in the United States in May 2025. He was arrested for DUI in Pennington County. After the arrest, it was discovered Jimenez-Grijalva had been deported from the United States on three separate occasions. Reentering the United States after deportation is a felony.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted the case.

Jimenez-Grijalva was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. 

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Shulte has sentenced a man from Harrold, South Dakota, who was convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on July 21, 2025.

Jerrod Fallis, age 47, was sentenced to 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. Forfeiture of the firearm and silencer was also ordered.

Fallis was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2024. He pleaded guilty on April 17, 2025.

On December 8, 2023, a traffic stop was conducted on a vehicle driven by Fallis. During a search of the vehicle, officers discovered a Rock River Arms AR15 rifle, silencer, and methamphetamine paraphernalia. Fallis is prohibited from possessing firearms due to prior state felony drug convictions.

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 (ATF), and the Hyde County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Dilges prosecuted the case.

Fallis 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 has sentenced a man from Lancaster, California, who had been convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances, including methamphetamine and fentanyl. The sentencing took place on July 21, 2025. 

Clarence Williams, a/k/a “CJ,” 34, was sentenced to 21 years and 10 months in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Williams was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute Controlled Substances by a federal grand jury in September 2024. He pleaded guilty on March 5, 2025, to conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture containing methamphetamine. 

Williams is from Lancaster, California, and came to Sioux Falls to sell methamphetamine and fentanyl. Williams sourced the drugs from California, and worked with others from California and South Dakota to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine in the Sioux Falls area using vehicles and the postal system. Throughout the investigation, law enforcement seized approximately 2 kilograms of fentanyl pills/powder through intercepted parcels and search warrants at a residence in Sioux Falls. The group also trafficked multiple pounds of methamphetamine. Throuhgout his involvement in the conspiracy, Williams also possessed firearms, three of which were seized by law enforcement during the investigation. In total, the group trafficked approximately 3 kilograms of fentanyl in pill and powder form and over 20 pounds of methamphetamine.

“This case is yet another example of the tremendous collaboration taking place between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to dismantle drug trafficking organizations in South Dakota,” said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell. “Williams will rightfully spend the next two decades of his life in federal prison for callously exploiting drug addictions for his own financial gain.”

“Those attempting to harm members of our South Dakota communities by pushing poisons like fentanyl and methamphetamine should take note of this sentencing,” Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Omaha Division Acting Special Agent in Charge Rafael Mattei said. “Our agents leave no stone unturned as they work to locate and arrest the drug trafficking criminals who look to profit by inflicting pain and suffering on others. These attempts won’t fly in South Dakota. You will be brought to justice and you will serve time.”

This case was investigated by the DEA, United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.

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

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a man from Saint Francis, South Dakota, who was convicted of Assault with a Dangerous Weapon. The sentencing took place on July 21, 2025.

Samuel Iron Shell, age 23, was sentenced to three 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.

Iron Shell was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2024. He pleaded guilty on April 24, 2025.

The conviction stems from an incident that occurred on December 24, 2024, within the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. Iron Shell and his significant other, a female, were at a residence near St. Francis when, at one point, Iron Shell got angry and began striking the woman on the head with a broomstick. The victim attempted to shield her head with her hand, and Iron Shell then struck her hand. The victim suffered a broken finger.

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. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.

Iron Shell 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 Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Rapid City man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on July 21, 2025.

William Janis, 25, 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. This sentence was ordered to run consecutively to a state custody sentence Janis is serving for a prior drug conviction.

Janis was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person by a federal grand jury in February 2025. He pleaded guilty on April 28, 2025.

In December 2024, Janis was contacted by law enforcement officers after he was seen yelling outside an apartment complex in Rapid City and trying to gain access inside. Officers learned Janis had an active warrant, and he was subsequently arrested. After being arrested, Janis informed officers he had a firearm in his waistband. Officers located and seized a 9mm pistol. Janis had previously been convicted of a felony, was on parole for a felony drug conviction, and knew he was also prohibited from possessing firearms pursuant to his parole agreement.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Through PSN, the District of South Dakota seeks to bring together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. 

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

Janis 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 Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a man from Pine Ridge, South Dakota, who was convicted of Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury. The sentencing took place on July 21, 2025.

Cole Waters, 37, 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.

Waters was indicted for Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury by a federal grand jury in December 2024. He pleaded guilty on May 9, 2025.

On November 16, 2024, in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, Waters used a pistol to beat his nephew several times. Waters first used the pistol to strike his nephew’s face, causing him to fall down. Then, when his nephew tried to get back up, Waters struck his nephew with the pistol again, on the back of his head. Waters used the pistol to hit his nephew a final time on the back of his shoulder. Waters’ nephew suffered serious bodily injury, including a fracture to his face and numbness and scarring elsewhere.

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 Criminal Investigations Division. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted the case.

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

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a woman from Fort Thompson, South Dakota, who was convicted of Embezzlement from an Indian Tribal Organization. The sentencing took place on July 21, 2025.

Mariah Pearl Sazue, age 35, was sentenced to three months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $44,627.25 in restitution to the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Sazue was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2024. She pleaded guilty on April 17, 2025.

Sazue served as the Human Resources Director for the Crow Creek Sioux Tribe between June 2022 and May 2024. In December 2022, Sazue began submitting timesheets with forged signatures and grossly inflated overtime hours. In total, Sazue received $44,627.25 in excess overtime pay before being fired for fraud in May 2024. When confronted, Sazue claimed she would never take advantage of the tribe.   

This case was investigated by the FBI and the United States Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.

Sazue 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 man from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, who was convicted of Attempted Possession of Child Pornography. The sentencing took place on July 15, 2025.

Elliott Anderson, age 28, was sentenced to two years and three 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.

Anderson was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2022. He pleaded guilty on April 7, 2025.

The conviction stemmed from incidents between March 7, 2022, and March 8, 2022, when Anderson attempted to possess materials which contained images of child pornography. More specifically, during that timeframe, law enforcement agents engaged in a joint undercover child exploitation/human trafficking operation in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.  On March 7, 2022, Anderson made contact via the online application MeetMe and then via text messages on his cell phone with what he believed was a 15-year-old female but was a law enforcement officer working in an undercover capacity. Anderson asked the undercover persona to provide photographs of sexually explicit conduct.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Connie Larson and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Ebert-Webb 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.

Anderson 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 Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Appear After Release. The sentencing took place on July 21, 2025.

Rayzohn Bertrand, 24, 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.

Bertrand was indicted by a federal grand jury for Failure to Appear After Release in March 2025. He pleaded guilty on May 12, 2025.

Bertrand was previously convicted of the federal offense of Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm. As part of his sentence, he was required to comply with conditions of supervised release.  On release, Bertrand was alleged to have violated conditions of his supervised release and was arrested to have revocation proceedings. A United States Magistrate Judge released Bertrand from custody pending his revocation hearing, instructing him that he is required to appear at all court proceedings. Defendant was released and failed to appear for his revocation hearing, in violation of federal law. Bertrand admitted to the violation of supervised release on July 21, 2025, and was sentenced to six months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. This sentence is to run consecutively to the 30-month sentence above.

This case was investigated by U.S. Marshals Service and the Summerset Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted the case.

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

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Richard Alan Kucera, age 67, of Winner, South Dakota, was found guilty of two counts of Sex Trafficking of a Child and two counts of Production of Child Pornography following a four-day federal jury trial in Pierre, South Dakota. The verdict was returned on July 18, 2025.

Each count of Sex Trafficking of a Child carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, and a maximum sentence of life in federal prison, and/or a $250,000 fine, five years up to life of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Each count of Production of Child Pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison, and a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison, and/or a $250,000 fine, five years up to life of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.

Kucera and co-defendant Ivy Heron, age 37, also of Winner, South Dakota, were indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2023.

At trial, the evidence established that between 2019 and 2021, Kucera and Heron entered into an agreement to recruit local girls to engage in sexual activity with Kucera in exchange for payment.  Heron received a fee for each girl she recruited whom Kucera selected. Between 2020 and 2021, Heron recruited two sixteen-year-old girls, each of whom Kucera paid to engage in sexual activity.  Kucera also created child pornography images and videos of both minor victims, which he uploaded to Facebook. The arrangement between Kucera and Heron was discovered in June 2022, when the minor victims were interviewed by law enforcement.

Heron pleaded guilty on April 9, 2025, to Conspiracy to Engage in Sex Trafficking of a Child.  She is in custody awaiting sentencing.

This case was investigated by the FBI. 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.

A presentence investigation was ordered, and a sentencing date has not yet been set. Kucera was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Pierre, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on July 14, 2025.

Scott Reiners, age 37, was sentenced to 12 years and four months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Reiners was further ordered to pay a $1,000 fine.

Reiners was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2024 . He pleaded guilty on April 3, 2025.

The conviction stemmed from a drug conspiracy between September 2022 and April 2023 in which Reiners and several other individuals conspired to distribute methamphetamine in and around the central South Dakota area, including within the Crow Creek and Lower Brule Sioux Indian Reservations. As part of the conspiracy, Reiners was involved in distributing between 5 kilograms and 15 kilograms of methamphetamine. Reiners was also involved in a traffic stop where law enforcement seized 254 grams of 97% pure methamphetamine and a handgun. Reiners is prohibited from possessing firearms due to three prior felony convictions.

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 Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Dilges prosecuted the case.

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

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that District Court Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a man from Belle Fourche, South Dakota, for Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering. The sentencing took place on July 14, 2025.

Turner Heinbaugh, 35, was sentenced to 12 years and seven 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.

Heinbaugh was indicted for Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering by a federal grand jury in November 2024. He pleaded guilty on April 22, 2025.

The money that Heinbaugh laundered was generated from a methamphetamine operation in the Black Hills. Heinbaugh worked with others to collect drug proceeds and then sent the proceeds through electronic payments to other co-conspirators in the United States and Mexico. Altogether, investigators believe Heinbaugh was responsible for transferring approximately $98,000 in drug proceeds through financial institutions. He was also involved in selling methamphetamine during his involvement in the conspiracy.

This case was investigated and prosecuted as part of the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), a federal program established in 1982 to combat transnational organized crime and reduce the availability of illicit narcotics in the nation by using a prosecutor-led, multi-agency approach to drug enforcement. OCDETF leverages the resources and expertise of its partners in concentrated, coordinated, long-term investigations of transnational organized crime, money laundering, and major drug trafficking networks.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET), and the Drug Enforcement Administration. UNET is comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, the Rapid City Police Department, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Mark Hodges and Paige Petersen prosecuted the case.

Heinbaugh 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 Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Mexican man convicted of Illegal Reentry after Deportation. The sentencing took place on July 15, 2025.

Amador Cruz-Martinez, 31, was sentenced to time served. He will be deported once released from the custody of the U.S. Marshals. 

Cruz-Martinez was indicted for Illegal Reentry after Deportation by a federal grand jury in April 2025. He pleaded guilty on May 21, 2025.

Cruz-Martinez is a non-citizen of the United States and a Mexican national. Cruz-Martinez was deported from the United States to Mexico in 2015. Cruz-Martinez was found back in the United States in March of 2025. Reentering the United States after deportation is a felony.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case.  

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Mexican man convicted of Illegal Reentry after Deportation. The sentencing took place on July 14, 2025.

Javier Cruz-Martinez, 29, was sentenced to time served and ordered to be removed from the United States.

Cruz-Martinez was indicted for Illegal Reentry after Deportation by a federal grand jury in April 2025. He pleaded guilty on April 30, 2025.

Cruz-Martinez is a non-citizen of the United States and a Mexican national. Cruz-Martinez was deported from the United States to Mexico in 2017. Cruz-Martinez was found back in the United States in March 2025. Reentering the United States after deportation is a felony.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Schroeder prosecuted the case.

Cruz-Martinez 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 Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Martin, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on July 14, 2025.

Aloysius Mousseau, 23, was sentenced to four years and eight 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.

Mousseau was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person by a federal grand jury in January 2025. He pleaded guilty on April 22, 2025.

In November 2024, officers with the Rapid City Police Department found Mousseau with a pistol.  Mousseau gave a false name and age to law enforcement. Mousseau had been convicted for crimes punishable beyond a year in prison. Possessing any firearm after such conviction is a felony offense.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN). Through PSN, the District of South Dakota seeks to bring together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce gun violence and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone.

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

Mousseau 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 Mankato, Minnesota, man convicted of Abusive Sexual Contact. The sentencing took place on June 30, 2025.

Ethan Schnitker, 41, was sentenced to two 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.

Schnitker was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2023. He pleaded guilty on March 13, 2025.

The conviction stems from an incident that occurred on October 3, 2021, in Gregory County, South Dakota, on property located within the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. Schnitker had sexual contact with a minor victim without her permission while they were visiting the area. Schnitker was responsible for the minor’s care 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 FBI and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Venhuizen prosecuted the case.

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

ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a Little Eagle, South Dakota, man convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter. The sentencing took place on July 15, 2025.

Evan John Bobtail Bear, age 35, was sentenced to five 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.

Bobtail Bear was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2025. He pleaded guilty on February 12, 2025.

On May 14, 2024, Bobtail Bear argued with his brother at a gathering outside a home in Little Eagle, South Dakota, which lies within the Standing Rock Reservation. Bobtail Bear punched his brother in the head. Bobtail Bear’s brother, unconscious, keeled over and struck his head on a concrete driveway. When Bobtail Bear saw his brother was seriously injured, he pleaded with him to wake up. He never did, succumbing to his injuries on June 8, 2024, in a hospital in Bismarck, North 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 FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.

Bobtail Bear 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 Black Hawk, South Dakota, man convicted of Receipt of Child Pornography. The sentencing took place on July 11, 2025.

Matthew Charles Ratliff, 51, was sentenced to five years and three months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $20,000 in restitution to online victims. He was further ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Ratliff will be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

Ratliff was indicted for Receipt of Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography by a federal grand jury in May 2023. He pleaded guilty on April 7, 2025.

The case was reported through a Cybertip, which informed law enforcement the defendant was downloading and viewing images of young children being sexually abused. Searches of Ratliff’s various devices revealed around 280 images of child sexual abuse material. At sentencing, Judge Schreier discussed how each time an image of a child being sexually abused is viewed, that child is re-victimized. Some of the children in the images have been identified, and Ratliff was ordered to pay restitution to each of them.

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 Homeland Security Investigations, the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case.

Ratliff 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 Oglala, South Dakota, man convicted of Committing a Crime of Violence While Failing to Register and Assault by Strangulation and Suffocation. The sentencing took place on July 11, 2025.

Aric Singing Goose, a/k/a Eric Sharpfish, age 37, was sentenced to nine years and nine months in federal prison, followed by eight years of supervised release, and ordered to pay $200 in special assessments to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

A federal grand jury indicted Singing Goose in December 2023. He pleaded guilty on April 9, 2025.

Singing Goose is required to register as a sex offender based on convictions secured in federal court in South Dakota for two counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor in 2009. In July 2023, Singing Goose was living in Oglala, South Dakota, within the Pine Ridge Reservation, and knowingly failed to update mandatory registration as a sex offender with the Oglala Sioux Tribe Sex Offender Compliance Office.

Then, on the afternoon of October 31, 2023, Singing Goose was drinking with a 16-year-old female at Oglala. Following a bout of drinking, the two got into a verbal argument that turned physical. Singing Goose took the minor to a location near the Oglala Dam, threw her to the ground, got on top of her, and placed his hands around her throat. In doing so, he left his DNA on her neck. The victim’s circulation was cut off and she lost consciousness, but she later awoke.

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 U.S. Marshals Service and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen prosecuted the case.

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

ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a North Lake Worth Beach, Florida, man convicted of Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person. The sentencing took place on July 14, 2025.

Kenneth Lee DeMarrias, age 46, was sentenced to five 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. His interest in a firearm was also forfeited.

DeMarrias was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2024. He pleaded guilty on April 23, 2025.

In May 1998, DeMarrias fired six shots from a pistol at three teenaged boys in a Kansas City park.  Two died; the third required surgery for a perforated bowel. Following his convictions for murder, aggravated assault, and armed criminal action, DeMarrias was sentenced to 26 years in prison. He was released in May 2024. On July 26, 2024, DeMarrias was staying with his family at the Grand River Casino in rural Wakpala, South Dakota, within the Standing Rock Reservation. DeMarrias loaded the magazine for his wife’s pistol in their hotel room. Later that morning, DeMarrias took the pistol to hotel lobby, where police arrested him. DeMarrias had been using methamphetamine.

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 Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.

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

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that District Court Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Box Elder, South Dakota, woman, and a Rapid City, South Dakota, woman, both convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencings took place on July 11, 2025.

Veronica Ortega, 48, was sentenced to 24 years and four 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.

Paige Sierra, 33, was sentenced to 11 years and 9 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.

Ortega and Sierra were indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2024 for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. Ortega pleaded guilty on April 28, 2025, and Sierra pleaded guilty on April 2, 2025.

Between January 2022 and February 2024, Ortega and Sierra were part of a conspiracy with several others to distribute methamphetamine in South Dakota, including in the Rapid City area and in the Pine Ridge Reservation. Large quantities of methamphetamine were being transported from Denver, Colorado, to South Dakota, and Sierra assisted on occasion with the transportation of those drugs. Once in Rapid City, both Ortega and Sierra obtained distributable quantities of methamphetamine and then re-distributed that methamphetamine to others.

This case was investigated by the Division of Criminal Investigation, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Highway Patrol, Wyoming State Highway Patrol, and the North Metro Denver Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.

Ortega and Sierra were 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 Lead, South Dakota, man convicted of Unlawful Possession of a Machinegun. The sentencing took place on July 11, 2025.

Ray Steele, 63, was sentenced to three years and five 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.

Steele was indicted for Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person and Unlawful Possession of a Machinegun by a federal grand jury in May 2024. He pleaded guilty on April 21, 2025.

Between late 2020 and May 2024, Steele, a felon prohibited from possessing firearms, had another person purchase firearms for him and was then building various caliber rifles. At the same time, Steele was also illegally manufacturing machinegun conversion devices to convert semi-automatic rifles into fully automatic machineguns. Once manufactured and inserted into a rifle, Steele and others would shoot the fully automatic machineguns. During a search warrant of his residence, law enforcement located six machinegun conversion devices, including one Steele was preparing to ship to an individual in California. Law enforcement also seized numerous firearms belonging to Steele.  

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Lead Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin Patterson prosecuted the case.

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

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that District Court Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a man from Chihuahua, Mexico, for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on July 11, 2025.

Ubaldo Balderrama-Marquez, 59, was sentenced to three years and one month in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Balderrama-Marquez was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in November 2006. He pleaded guilty on April 11, 2025.

The conviction arose from a conspiracy to distribute cocaine operating out of Denver, Colorado. Balderrama-Marquez, along with his brothers Jose Balderrama-Marquez, Miguel Balderrama-Marquez, and Rafael Balderrama-Marquez, sold large quantities of cocaine and marijuana to Ken Walking Eagle, John Ladeaux, and others for further distribution in South Dakota and in the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation.

This case was investigated by the Badlands Safe Trails Task Force, which is comprised of agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and officers with the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward C. Tarbay prosecuted the case.

Balderrama-Marquez was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. 

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Parmelee, South Dakota, man convicted of Assaulting, Resisting and Impeding a Federal Officer. The sentencing took place on July 8, 2025.

Lonnie Running Bear, Jr., age 32, was sentenced to ten 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.

Running Bear was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2025. He pleaded guilty on April 7, 2025.

On the afternoon of November 21, 2024, Running Bear was arrested by Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services following a disturbance at the community center in Parmelee. As Running Bear was being placed in a patrol vehicle, he kicked the arresting officer multiple times in the chest.

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

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

ABERDEEN - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that Jesse Norman White Bull, age 45, of Kenel, South Dakota, was found guilty on July 10, 2025, of two counts of Sexual Abuse of a Minor following a three-day federal jury trial in Aberdeen, South Dakota.

Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, a mandatory minimum of five years up to life of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered. 

White Bull was indicted by a federal grand jury in September 2024.

At trial, the evidence established White Bull sexually abused a 13-year-old girl on multiple occasions between June 2023 and July 2023 at a residence in Kenel, a community within the  Standing Rock Sioux Indian Reservation.

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 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 FBI and the Bureau of Indian Affairs – Office of Justice Services.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.

A presentence investigation report was ordered and a sentencing date of September 29, 2025, was set. White Bull was released on bond pending sentencing.

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange has sentenced a Yankton, South Dakota, man convicted of Distribution of a Controlled Substance Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury. The sentencing took place on July 7, 2025.

Matthew Williams, age 33, was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison and four years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

Williams was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2023. He pleaded guilty on April 2, 2025.

The conviction stemmed from an incident on March 17, 2022, when Williams intentionally distributed a pill containing fentanyl to one of his drug customers who ingested it and overdosed. Paramedics were called to the residence and administered a dose of Narcan, which saved the victim’s life.

This case was investigated by the Sioux Falls Police Department. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Connie Larson and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Ebert-Webb prosecuted the case.

Williams 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 Roberto A. Lange has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on July 7, 2025.

Adrian Fast Dog, age 45, was sentenced to two years and nine months in federal prison and five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

Fast Dog was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2024. He pleaded guilty on April 10, 2025.

The conviction stems from Fast Dog failing to register as a sex offender as required by federal law between June 25, 2024, and February 13, 2025. Fast Dog had previously been convicted of a sex offense in federal court, which requires him to register for the rest of his life.

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

Fast Dog 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 McLaughlin, South Dakota, man convicted of Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. The sentencing took place on June 30, 2025.

Patrick Red Legs, age 31, was sentenced to one year and 11 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.

Red Legs was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2024. He pleaded guilty on May 15, 2025.

Red Legs is required to register as a sex offender under federal law for sexually abusing a 13-year-old-girl. This is his third conviction for failure to register as a sex offender. Following his last release from prison on June 10, 2024, Red Legs registered a McLaughlin, South Dakota, address with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. On or about July 1, 2024, Red Legs moved to his girlfriend’s home in Little Eagle without updating his registration. Because her children also lived there, Red Legs was prohibited from visiting his girlfriend’s house, much less living there. Red Legs only updated his address following his arrest for violating his supervised release on August 12, 2024.

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 United States Marshals Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl Thunem prosecuted the case.

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

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Lower Brule, South Dakota, man convicted of Assaulting, Resisting and Impeding a Federal Officer. The sentencing took place on June 23, 2025.

Thaddeus James Grant, 32, 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.

Grant was indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2024. He pleaded guilty on March 27, 2025.

On September 20, 2024, when two law enforcement officers from the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) attempted to arrest Grant pursuant to a federal warrant in the Lower Brule Sioux Indian Reservation, he actively resisted arrest, pulling his hands away from the officers and taking one of the officers with him to the ground. Grant continued to resist until the officers were able to gain compliance through the use of pressure points.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs - Office of Justice Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney Wayne Venhuizen prosecuted the case.

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

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Lower Brule, South Dakota, man convicted of Assaulting, Resisting, and Impeding a Federal Officer. The sentencing took place on June 30, 2025.

Eddie Bromwich, age 45, was sentenced to six months in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Bromwich was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2024. He was found guilty following a three-day jury trial in April 2025.

On February 6, 2024, Bureau of Indian Affairs law enforcement officers conducted a traffic stop of Bromwich for speeding in the Lower Brule Sioux Indian Reservation. Bromwich argued with and resisted commands from the officers before ultimately engaging in a physical struggle with the officers. One of the officers suffered a broken finger as a result of the incident.

This case was investigated by the  Bureau of Indian Affairs - Office of Justice Services, Lower Brule Agency. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kimberly Zachrison and Troy Morley prosecuted the case.

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