JULY 2022:
A 48 year old woman from Eagle Butte convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced this week (July 19, 2022) by a US District Court judge.
Brenda Faye Fernandez must spend 10 months in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
The conviction stemmed from Fernandez’s involvement in a methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy between January 1, 2021, and September 30, 2021, in South Dakota. Fernandez intentionally conspired with others to distribute methamphetamine on the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation.
This case was investigated by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, and the South Dakota Highway Patrol.
Fernandez was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
MARCH 2022:
A 48 year old woman from Eagle Butte has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance.
Brenda Faye Fernandez pled not guilty.
The Indictment alleges that between January 1, 2021, and September 30, 2021, in South Dakota, Fernandez knowingly and intentionally conspired with others to distribute and possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. The Indictment further alleges that on May 26, 2021, in Eagle Butte, Fernandez knowingly and intentionally possessed methamphetamine with intent to distribute.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 20 years in federal prison and/or a $1,000,000 fine, a lifetime of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The investigation is being conducted by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, and the South Dakota Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook is prosecuting the case.
Fernandez was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
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