United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Dennis Red Elk, age 32, of Rapid City, South Dakota; Maurice Johnson, age 33, of Rapid City, South Dakota; and Daniel Gangone, age 35, of Mission, South Dakota, appeared before United States Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on Jan. 17, 2013, and pled guilty to the Superseding Information that charged them with Possession of a Controlled Substance. The maximum penalty upon conviction is 1 year of custody, a $1,000 minimum fine but not more than $100,000 fine, or both; not more than 1 year of supervised release; and a $25 special assessment.
The charges stem from an incident wherein Red Elk, Johnson, and Gangone, on Oct. 1, 2009 and April 19, 2010, came into contact with law enforcement officers, who discovered marihuana in the defendants’ possession.
The investigation was conducted by the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force and Assistant United States Attorney Kathryn N. Rich is prosecuting the case.
Red Elk and Gangone were released on bond pending sentencing. Johnson was remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals pending sentencing. A sentencing date has been set for April 16, 2013.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
