United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Obstructing Justice by Retaliating Against a Witness was sentenced on Aug. 19, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier.
Edward Martin, age 50, was sentenced to six years and six months in federal prison and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. All but 18 months of the sentence are concurrent to a 20-year sentence Martin received for his conviction for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.
Martin was indicted for Obstructing Justice by Retaliating Against a Witness by a federal grand jury in December of 2021. He was found guilty following a federal court trial held on Aug. 1, 2022. Martin threatened an individual who had provided information to law enforcement about a drug conspiracy in which Martin was involved. Martin made threatening comments to the individual in an attempt to dissuade the individual from testifying against Martin’s co-conspirators in pending federal criminal proceedings.
The investigation was conducted by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.
Martin was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
