Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
A woman from Pine Ridge, South Dakota, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for her involvement in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine within the Pine Ridge Reservation. U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier handed down the sentence on August 29, 2025.
Kadell Richard, age 31, will also serve three years of supervised release following her prison term and must pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Richard was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2024 for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and pleaded guilty on June 9, 2025.
According to court documents, between October 2023 and April 2024, Richard worked with others to distribute methamphetamine both in South Dakota and specifically within the Pine Ridge Reservation. She played a role by helping co-conspirators arrange narcotics transactions and locate end-users for their drug sales.
The investigation was conducted by the Badlands Safe Trails Task Force (BSTTF), which is made up of law enforcement personnel from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, South Dakota Department of Criminal Investigations, Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward C. Tarbay prosecuted the case.
Following sentencing, Richard was immediately taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
