Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell has announced the sentencing of Phil Pond, a Pine Ridge, South Dakota resident, for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler sentenced Pond to 20 years in federal prison on May 6, 2025.
Pond, aged 42, will also face five years of supervised release following his prison term and is required to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. He was indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2024 and pleaded guilty on July 29, 2024.
The case revealed that from 2022 to 2024, Pond and others conspired to distribute at least 500 grams of methamphetamine within South Dakota. Some conspirators traveled to the Denver area or sourced meth locally from Pine Ridge and Rapid City. Evidence showed that Pond acted as an enforcer using intimidation and threats of violence to collect drug debts and was identified as a leader in the conspiracy. Additionally, he provided methamphetamine to an individual under the age of 21.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI alongside the Badlands Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force. This task force includes agents from several agencies such as the FBI, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement, Martin Police Department, and Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Megan Poppen and Anna Lindrooth led the prosecution.
Following his sentencing, Pond was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
