United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that a Deadwood, South Dakota, man was charged in federal district court with Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance and Distribution of a Controlled Substance.
Michael Mamola, age 36, was charged on January 24, 2017. Mamola appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on February 27, 2017, and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The penalty upon conviction is a minimum of 5 years and up to 40 years of imprisonment and/or a $5,000,000 fine, up to lifetime supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The charges relate to Mamola conspiring with another person to distribute and distributing methamphetamine near Deadwood. The charges are merely an accusation and Mamola is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Patterson is prosecuting the case.
Mamola was detained pending trial. A trial date has not been set.