A Pine Ridge woman has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for her involvement in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine within the Pine Ridge Reservation. U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier handed down the sentence to Kadell Richard, 31, on August 29, 2025.
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced the sentencing, stating that Richard will also serve three years of supervised release and must pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Richard was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2024 and pleaded guilty on June 9, 2025. According to court documents, between October 2023 and April 2024, Richard worked with others to distribute methamphetamine in South Dakota and on the Pine Ridge Reservation. She assisted co-conspirators by arranging narcotics transactions and finding buyers for methamphetamine.
The case was investigated by the Badlands Safe Trails Task Force (BSTTF), which includes law enforcement from 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 immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
