A South Dakota woman has been dealt a tough blow in her appeal of a drug conspiracy conviction. Lona Lee Colhoff, a resident of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, was found guilty by a federal jury of two counts of conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and one count of attempted witness tampering.
The district court sentenced Colhoff to concurrent 45-month sentences for each conviction. The sentence was handed down on an unspecified date in 2023. This verdict marks the end of a long and complex case involving a drug distribution network headed by Colhoff’s brother.
The network, which included family members and friends, was responsible for transporting, storing, and distributing cocaine and marijuana on and around the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. The case was investigated by the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force.
Colhoff challenged the sufficiency of the evidence on the witness-tampering conviction, asserting that the statement underlying her conviction was protected expression under the First Amendment. She also argued that the conspiracy charges were improperly joined with the witness tampering charge.
However, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld Colhoff’s conviction and sentence. The court ruled that there was a reasonable basis to conclude that Colhoff and a co-defendant were involved in a common scheme to distribute drugs, and therefore, the district court did not plainly err by permitting joinder of Colhoff’s conspiracy charges with the charge that she attempted to tamper with a witness against a co-defendant.
Assistant United States Attorney Ted L. McBride prosecuted the case at the district court level and handled the appeal for the government. This case serves as a reminder of the severity of the consequences for those involved in drug trafficking and related activities.
Colhoff’s conviction and sentence are a testament to the dedication and hard work of law enforcement agencies and prosecutors in combating drug-related crimes. The Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, which investigated the case, has been instrumental in disrupting and dismantling drug trafficking networks in the region.
Related Federal Cases
- Norman Lee Ritter, Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance, South Dakota 2016 · Iowa
- Tricia Lee Pond, Cocaine Conspiracy, South Dakota 2013 · Colorado
- Tricia Lee Pond, Cocaine Conspiracy, South Dakota 2013 · Colorado
- Nicholas Howard Juarez, Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine, South Dakota 2015 · Indiana
- Charles Wells, Methamphetamine Conspiracy, South Dakota 2016 · Iowa
Key Facts
- State: South Dakota
- Category: Drug Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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