Pine Ridge Woman Sentenced for Her Role in Methamphetamine Distribution Conspiracy

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that District Judge Camela C. Theeler has sentenced a Pine Ridge, South Dakota, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance.  The sentencing took place on December 15, 2025.

Elisha Rose Merdanian, 21, was sentenced to two years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Merdanian was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in December 2024.  She pleaded guilty on September 18, 2025.

Beginning in at least October 2023, Merdanian worked with a Pine Ridge-based source of supply to sell methamphetamine within the Pine Ridge community.  Merdanian sold methamphetamine to end-users, assisted her co-conspirators in identifying potential buyers, and arranged methamphetamine sales to end-users on behalf of her co-conspirators.

This case was investigated by the Badlands Safe Trails Task Force, which is comprised of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Indian Affairs - Division of Drug Enforcement, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward C. Tarbay prosecuted the case.

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