Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
A Rapid City man has been sentenced to a decade in federal prison for his role in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy. James Thunder Hawk, aged 42, received the sentence from U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier on June 6, 2025. Following his prison term, he will be subject to five years of supervised release and must pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Thunder Hawk was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2022 and entered a guilty plea on March 26, 2025. His involvement in the conspiracy began in December 2020 and continued until October 2022. During this time, Thunder Hawk and others conspired to distribute at least 500 grams of methamphetamine across South Dakota. The group included individuals who traveled to locations such as Denver to procure the drug. Thunder Hawk was aware that some of the methamphetamine he sold would be further distributed.
The investigation into this case was conducted by the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET), which includes members from various law enforcement agencies such as the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, Rapid City Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen led the prosecution.
Following his sentencing, Thunder Hawk was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
