Georgia Woman Gets 11+ Years for SD Meth & Money Scheme

SIOUX FALLS, SD – Julia Precious Ballansaw, 21, of Decatur, Georgia, is headed to federal prison after receiving a hefty sentence for her role in a cross-country drug and money laundering operation. U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier handed down the sentence on June 3, 2024, effectively ending Ballansaw’s foray into the dark world of illicit trafficking.

Ballansaw was convicted of both Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Conspiracy to Launder Monetary Instruments following an indictment by a federal grand jury in October 2023. She entered a guilty plea on March 14, 2024, acknowledging her central role in the scheme. The judge sentenced her to five years and ten months in federal prison on each count, with the sentences to run concurrently – totaling over eleven years behind bars. Following her incarceration, Ballansaw will face three years of supervised release.

The investigation revealed a sophisticated network. Ballansaw wasn’t just a street-level dealer. She actively sourced methamphetamine from co-conspirators in California, transporting the drugs back to South Dakota for further distribution. She also secured meth from within South Dakota, expanding the reach of the operation. This wasn’t a one-way street; Ballansaw and her associates used wire transfers to funnel the dirty money generated from the drug sales back to their California counterparts, attempting to conceal the source of the funds.

Federal investigators painstakingly pieced together the evidence, uncovering the flow of drugs and money across state lines. Homeland Security Investigations, the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, the Sioux Falls Police Department, and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation all contributed to the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges led the prosecution, successfully demonstrating Ballansaw’s guilt to the court.

Beyond the prison sentence and supervised release, Judge Schreier ordered Ballansaw to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund – a small restitution for the damage caused by her criminal activity. This isn’t about just drugs, it’s about the destruction of communities and the exploitation of addiction.

Immediately after the sentencing, Ballansaw was taken into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. Her case serves as a stark reminder that federal law enforcement agencies are actively working to dismantle these types of criminal enterprises and bring those responsible to justice, no matter where they originate. The investigation into Ballansaw’s co-conspirators is ongoing, and further arrests are anticipated.