United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that a Mission, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance was sentenced on December 20, 2016, by U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange.
Norman Lee Ritter, age 49, was sentenced to 108 months in custody, 4 years of supervised release, a $1,000 fine, a mandatory special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100, and the forfeiture of firearms, ammunition, and $1,203 in U.S. currency seized by law enforcement on September 17, 2015.
Ritter was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 15, 2016. He pled guilty on October 4, 2016.
Between February of 2015, and March of 2016, Ritter conspired and agreed with other individuals to knowingly and intentionally distribute methamphetamine, a Schedule II Controlled Substance, in South Dakota. The conspiracy involved the distribution of between 1.5 and 5 kilograms of methamphetamine. Ritter received distributable quantities of methamphetamine from individuals who knew that he intended to engage in further distribution. Ritter then distributed that methamphetamine.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney SaraBeth Donovan prosecuted the case.
Ritter was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.