Two of Four Defendants Sentenced in Fentanyl Conspiracy

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann has sentenced a Dumont, Minnesota, man and a Sisseton, South Dakota, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on March 14, 2023.

Jevon Joseph Mcleod, a/k/a “Buddy Traffick”, 32, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release. Tiarah Grace Bissonette, 25, was sentenced to four years and nine months in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release. They were also both ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Mcleod and Bissonette were indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in July of 2022. Mcleod pleaded guilty on December 5, 2022, and Bissonette pleaded guilty on March 14, 2023, directly preceding the sentencing hearing.

McLeod was the leader of a conspiracy in South Dakota to obtain pills containing fentanyl from out of state and distribute them in the Northeastern area of the state. McLeod recruited Bissonette and others to assist him in selling thousands of pills during the conspiracy. Bissonette obtained pills weighing a total of over 40 grams from McLeod and sold them to others.

The other two defendants are scheduled for trial on June 6, 2023.

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Interior - Bureau of Indian Affairs, South Dakota Department of Criminal Investigation, and the Roberts County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.

Mcleod was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service, while Bissonette was given one day to self-report to the U.S. Marshal Service.