South Sioux Man to Federal Prison for Fentanyl Conspiracy

A man who conspired to distribute fentanyl was sentenced today to more than seven years in federal prison.

Joshua Rysavy, age 35, from South Sioux City, Nebraska, received the prison term after a March 18, 2025, guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute fentanyl.

At the sentencing hearing, evidence showed that Rysavy took part in the distribution of approximately 8.5 pounds of pills containing fentanyl across Iowa and Nebraska between 2022 and June 2023.  As part of the investigation, law enforcement utilized an undercover officer to make several purchases from Rysavy of counterfeit oxycodone pills marked “M30” but which contained fentanyl.  Following these purchases, law enforcement executed a search warrant on Rysavy’s  South Sioux City residence where several firearms were located. 

“As a result of this investigation, thousands of lethal doses of fentanyl were removed from the streets of South Sioux City, Nebraska, and Sioux City, Iowa,” Drug Enforcement Administration Omaha Division Acting Special Agent in Charge Rafael Mattei said. “No town in America is immune to this deadly substance and the lethal consequences that can come from its use. We’re grateful for the opportunity to work with our law enforcement partners in both Nebraska and Iowa who strive to achieve the same goal of removing these deadly threats and keeping our communities safe.”

Rysavy was sentenced in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand.  Rysavy was sentenced to 86 months’ imprisonment.  He must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after the prison term.  There is no parole in the federal system.

Rysavy is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood and investigated by the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa, that consists of law enforcement personnel from the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City, Iowa, Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City, Nebraska, Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office. 

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.  Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.

The case file number is 24-3027. 

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