Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
Joshua Rysavy, a 35-year-old resident of South Sioux City, Nebraska, has entered a guilty plea in federal court for his involvement in a fentanyl distribution conspiracy. The plea was made on March 18, 2025, in Sioux City, Iowa.
Evidence presented during the hearing indicated that Rysavy and others engaged in a conspiracy to distribute over 8.5 pounds of fentanyl across Nebraska and Iowa from 2022 until June 2023.
Rysavy's sentencing will be determined by United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand after the preparation of a presentence report. Following his guilty plea, Rysavy was taken into custody by the United States Marshal and will remain detained until sentencing. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years' imprisonment with the possibility of life imprisonment, alongside a potential fine of $10 million and at least five years of supervised release post-imprisonment.
Assistant United States Attorney Patrick T. Greenwood is prosecuting the case, which is under investigation by the Tri-State Drug Task Force based in Sioux City, Iowa. This task force includes personnel from multiple agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Administration; Sioux City Police Department; Homeland Security Investigations; Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office; South Sioux City Police Department; Nebraska State Patrol; Iowa National Guard; Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement; United States Marshals Service; South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; and Woodbury County Attorney’s Office.
The investigation is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations threatening the United States through coordinated efforts among various agencies. Further information about OCDETF can be accessed at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.
