United States Attorney’s Office Persisted in Mission to Improve Public Safety in South Dakota Despite Government Shutdown

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that the dedicated men and women of the U.S. Attorney’s Office continued their efforts in the pursuit of justice during the recent federal government shutdown.  Working unabated to keep our communities safe and uphold the rule of law, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and its law enforcement partners continued to prosecute drug trafficking, child exploitation, and violent assaults, among other federal crimes.  In addition to securing convictions at trial, federal prosecutors recorded significant sentences for numerous individuals who committed federal crimes in South Dakota, many of which are highlighted below.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office secured sizable federal sentences for drug traffickers:

• Box Elder Woman Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine in Western South Dakota
• Rapid City Man Sentenced to 27 Years in Federal Prison for Role in Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine in Rapid City Area
• Rapid City Man Sentenced to Over 24 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine in Rapid City and within the Pine Ridge Reservation
• Minnesota Man Sentenced to Over 22 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine within Lower Brule and Crow Creek Reservations
• California Man Sentenced to 21 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine and Fentanyl in Sioux Falls Area

The U.S. Attorney’s Office helped bring to justice those who abuse and exploit children:

• Watertown Man Sentenced to 40 Years in Federal Prison for Sexually Assaulting a Child
• Nebraska Man Sentenced to 35 Years in Federal Prison for Sexual Exploitation of a South Dakota Minor
• Winner Man Sentenced to 25 Years in Federal Prison in Child Sex Trafficking Case
• Sioux Falls Teacher Sentenced to Over 24 Years in Federal Prison for Producing Child Pornography
• Rapid City Man Sentenced to Nearly 20 Years in Federal Prison for Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet and Child Pornography

And the U.S. Attorney’s Office made our streets and communities safer by pursuing serious sentences for the perpetrators of violent crime:

• Kyle Man Sentenced to 8 Years in Federal Prison for Assaulting Woman, Causing Serious Bodily Injury
• Rapid City Man Sentenced to 7 Years in Federal Prison for Brandishing Firearm During Crime of Violence
• Sioux Falls Man Sentenced to Nearly 6 Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing a Firearm
• Rapid City Man Sentenced to Nearly 5 Years in Federal Prison for Illegally Possessing a Firearm

To review all press releases issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-sd/pr.