U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota woman convicted of Possession with Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on July 6, 2026.
Brenda Fernandez, age 52, was sentenced to four years and one month in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, $ 1,000 fine, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Fernandez was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2025. She pleaded guilty on April 8, 2026.
The conviction stems from a traffic stop on September 1, 2024, in the Cheyenne River Sioux Indian Reservation during which officers recovered 34 grams of pure methamphetamine, a scale, baggies and a drug ledger in Fernandez’s possession. Fernandez was intending to distribute the methamphetamine within the reservation.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This case was investigated by the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, Dewey County Sheriff’s Office, Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, FBI, and DEA. Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Dilges prosecuted the case.
Fernandez was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
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