Source: United States Department of Justice News
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Kyle, South Dakota, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on June 30, 2022, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
Christine Richards, age 26, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, $170 restitution for drug testing costs, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Richards was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury on December 21, 2021. She pleaded guilty to the Indictment on April 8, 2022. Richards was responsible for bringing between 1.5 and 5 kilograms of methamphetamine to South Dakota during her involvement in the conspiracy. In South Dakota she dispersed the methamphetamine and recruited others as sub-distributors to sell for her. Richards frequently traveled to the Pine Ridge Reservation to sell methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the Badlands Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, which is comprised of agents from the FBI, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement, Martin Police Department and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.
Richards was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.