United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Whitewood, South Dakota, man and woman who both pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance, have been sentenced by Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court Judge
Robert Bartels, age 24, was sentenced on Aug. 14, 2020, to 10 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Raina Strickland, age 24, was sentenced on Oct. 30, 2020, to 10 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
From approximately May 2019 to December 2019, Bartels and Strickland distributed methamphetamine out of hotels in Sturgis and Spearfish.
This case investigation was a joint effort between the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET), the Rapid City Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Gina S. Nelson prosecuted the case.
Bartels and Strickland were immediately returned to the custody of U.S. Marshals Service.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
