Mellette County Man Sentenced to 51 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 July 6, 2016, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.

Henry Paul Gorisek, age 46, was sentenced to 51 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.  Gorisek was also ordered to forfeit over $800 in U.S. currency and two handguns seized by law enforcement in September 2015.

Gorisek 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 April 12, 2016.

From May 2014 through September 2015, Gorisek received and distributed methamphetamine in South Dakota.  The individuals who provided Gorisek with large amounts of methamphetamine knew he intended to engage in further distribution.  It was reasonably foreseeable to Gorisek 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.

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