Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota continued its law enforcement activities during the recent federal government shutdown, according to an announcement from United States Attorney Ron Parsons. Despite challenges posed by the shutdown, staff members maintained efforts to prosecute federal crimes and secure convictions.
Parsons stated, "the dedicated men and women of the U.S. Attorney’s Office continued their efforts in the pursuit of justice during the recent federal government shutdown. Working unabated to keep our communities safe and uphold the rule of law, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and its law enforcement partners continued to prosecute drug trafficking, child exploitation, and violent assaults, among other federal crimes."
Several significant sentences were handed down for drug-related offenses. A woman from Box Elder received a 30-year sentence for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine in western South Dakota. Other notable cases included a Rapid City man sentenced to 27 years for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in that area; another Rapid City man sentenced to over 24 years for similar charges within both Rapid City and Pine Ridge Reservation; a Minnesota man sentenced to over 22 years for distributing methamphetamine within Lower Brule and Crow Creek Reservations; and a California man given 21 years for distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl in Sioux Falls.
In cases involving child exploitation, a Watertown man was sentenced to 40 years in prison for sexually assaulting a child. Additional convictions included a Nebraska man receiving 35 years for sexual exploitation of a minor from South Dakota; a Winner resident sentenced to 25 years in connection with child sex trafficking; a Sioux Falls teacher receiving over 24 years for producing child pornography; and another Rapid City man given nearly 20 years for attempted enticement of a minor using the internet as well as child pornography charges.
Efforts also targeted violent crime offenders. Sentences included eight years in prison for a Kyle resident who assaulted a woman causing serious injury; seven years for a Rapid City individual convicted of brandishing a firearm during a violent crime; nearly six years for illegal possession of firearms by another Sioux Falls resident; and almost five years on similar charges against another person from Rapid City.
More information about these cases or other press releases can be found at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sd/pr.
