Rapid City Man Sentenced for Drug Trafficking

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that United States District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Rapid City, SD, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on August 10, 2023.

Shawn Hawley, 43, was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Hawley was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in September 2022. He pleaded guilty on May 26, 2023.

Between March 2021 and September 2022, Hawley conspired with Amos Torres and others to obtain methamphetamine for further distribution.  In that time frame, it was foreseeable to Hawley that between 500 grams and 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine would be distributed in western South Dakota.  The methamphetamine was transported to South Dakota by the defendant or by others through arrangements with him. He then distributed the methamphetamine to others for use or further sales.

This case was investigated by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team, which is  local drug task force comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.

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