Mellette County Man Sentenced to 33 Months for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine

United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that a Mellette County, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on August 4, 2016, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.

Ty Wesley Clifford, age 23, was sentenced to 33 months in custody, followed by 3 years of supervised release, a $1,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.  Clifford was also ordered to forfeit U.S. currency and two handguns seized by law enforcement in September 2015.

Clifford was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person by a federal grand jury on January 21, 2016.  He pled guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance on June 1, 2016.

From May 2014 through September 2015, Clifford received and distributed methamphetamine in South Dakota.  The individuals who provided Clifford with large amounts of methamphetamine knew he intended to engage in further distribution.  It was reasonably foreseeable to Clifford that more than 50 grams of methamphetamine would be distributed during the course of this conspiracy.

This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services and the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force.  Assistant U.S. Attorney SaraBeth Donovan prosecuted the case.

Clifford was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.