Julissa Poor Bear, Meth Conspiracy, South Dakota 2020

Martin Woman Sentenced for Meth Conspiracy

A Martin, South Dakota woman has been sentenced to 16 years in federal prison for her role in a methamphetamine conspiracy that brought the deadly drug to Rapid City and the east side of the Pine Ridge Reservation.

Julissa Poor Bear, age 31, was sentenced on July 31, 2020 by U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey L. Viken to a total of 16 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Poor Bear pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The charges stem from her involvement in distributing over 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine from approximately January 2015 to August 2016. She worked with others to bring the methamphetamine to South Dakota from California.

During the course of her dealing, Poor Bear threatened people, possessed firearms, and attempted to intimidate a witness by posting about that witness on Facebook.

This case was investigated by the Badlands Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, which is comprised of agents from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement, Martin Police Department, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kathryn N. Rich prosecuted the case.

Poor Bear, who has been in custody since April 2019, was immediately returned to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sd/pr/martin-woman-sentenced-meth-conspiracy