Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
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 role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine on the Pine Ridge Reservation. The sentencing was announced by United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell and handed down by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier on August 29, 2025.
Kadell Richard, 31, will serve two years in prison followed by three years of supervised release. She is also required to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Richard was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2024 on charges of 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 within South Dakota and specifically inside the Pine Ridge Reservation. She helped her co-conspirators arrange drug transactions and locate individuals who would purchase methamphetamine.
The investigation was led by the Badlands Safe Trails Task Force (BSTTF), which includes members from several agencies: 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.
Richard was taken into custody immediately following sentencing and is now in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
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