United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that two men and one woman from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, convicted of Counterfeiting United States Currency and Possession of Stolen Firearms, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.
Shalene Paige Ball, age 29, was sentenced to 7 months in custody, followed by 3 years of supervised release, restitution in the amount of $3,000, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Michael Scott Norton, a/k/a Michael Scott Carey, age 59, was sentenced to 59 days in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, restitution in the amount of $1,500, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Chester Lee Kempf, age 62, was sentenced to 42 months in federal prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, restitution in the amount of $3,000, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Ball, Kempf, and Norton were indicted by a federal grand jury on June 6, 2018. Ball pled guilty on Dec. 27, 2018, to Passing Counterfeit U.S. Currency; Kempf pled guilty on Jan. 17, 2019, to Passing Counterfeit U.S. Currency and Possession of a Stolen Firearm; and Norton pled guilty on Nov. 14, 2018, to Making Counterfeit U.S. Currency.
The conviction stemmed from incidents in August and November of 2017, when Ball and Kempf passed counterfeit $100 bills to several businesses in and around Sioux Falls. The investigation revealed that Norton created the counterfeit bills for Kempf and Ball. Ball and Kempf then used the fake bills at local businesses to make small purchases and receive genuine currency as change. The real money was used to purchase illegal drugs.
Kempf was also indicted in another matter by a federal grand jury on May 8, 2018. He pled guilty on Jan. 17, 2019. That conviction stemmed from an incident on or about December 9, 2017. On that day, Ball called 911 to report that Kempf was unresponsive and struggling to breathe. When police and paramedics arrived, they learned that Kempf had overdosed on heroin and also had a stolen handgun in his possession.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the cases.
Ball had already served her time in custody prior to sentencing, while Kempf and Norton were turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
