Lower Brule Woman Sentenced for Witness Tampering

United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Lower Brule, South Dakota, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Tamper with a Witness was sentenced on November 16, 2020, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.

Dale Lynn James, age 33, was sentenced to a 10 month split sentence – five months in federal prison and five months of home confinement, followed by two years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

James was indicted by a federal grand jury on August 16, 2020.  She pled guilty on September 27, 2020.

The conviction stemmed from an incident that occurred between March 3, 2019, and March 14, 2019, where James knowingly and intentionally conspired with Clinton Haukaas, a/k/a Fuddy Haukaas, to publish a list of twenty-eight persons that Haukaas believed would be called to testify against him at his upcoming federal jury trial related to meth trafficking. James coordinated the scheme with Haukaas through text messages while Haukaas was incarcerated at the Hughes County Jail.  Haukaas sent James a list of the names through the mail and instructed her to put it on Facebook.  James took pictures of the list and sent the images to several different people on Facebook with intent to influence, delay, and prevent the testimony of the named individuals at Haukaas’ trial.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook prosecuted the case.

James will report to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service on January 4, 2021.