Colorado Woman Sentenced to 11 years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance in the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation

PIERRE - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Denver, Colorado, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on April 14, 2025.

Patricia Rae Pacheco a/k/a Patty Pacheco, age 35, was sentenced to 11 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, a $1,000 fine, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Pacheco was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in August 2020. She pleaded guilty on January 15, 2025.

Between January 1, 2015, and January 1, 2020, Pacheco conspired with several other persons to distribute methamphetamine obtained from Colorado to her family members and others in South Dakota, specifically in the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation. 

This case was investigated by the FBI, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, and the Valentine (NE) Police Department.

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