Anthony Sorensen, a 37-year-old man from Rapid City, South Dakota, has been sentenced to life in federal prison after being convicted of distributing a controlled substance resulting in death. The sentencing was handed down by District Court Judge Camela C. Theeler on November 24, 2025.
Sorensen was also ordered to serve six years of supervised release and pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. His conviction followed a three-day jury trial in March 2025, after he was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2024.
The case is connected to the fatal fentanyl overdose of an individual in Rapid City on June 5, 2023. Investigators obtained messages showing that Sorensen had agreed to sell a fentanyl pill to the victim during the early morning hours of that day. Security footage placed the victim at Sorensen’s apartment shortly before the incident. The victim was found unresponsive about one block away from Sorensen’s residence only hours later. An autopsy confirmed that death resulted from consuming a lethal dose of fentanyl.
U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons commented on the case: “So much death, misery, and pain has been caused by fentanyl dealers,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons. “I am so grateful to our law enforcement partners that this dealer is now out of business for good.”
The investigation involved multiple agencies through the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team, including personnel from the Rapid City Police Department, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the National Guard Counter-Drug Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward C. Tarbay prosecuted the case.
Following sentencing, Sorensen was remanded into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
