Sioux Falls Woman Sentenced for Her Role in Fentanyl and Meth Conspiracy, While Co-Conspirators Await Sentencing

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on February 5, 2024.

Tayler Alyssa Hanssen, 29, was sentenced to five years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. She was also ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Hanssen was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute at least 400 grams of Fentanyl by a federal grand jury in December of 2022. She pleaded guilty on October 30, 2023.

Hanssen obtained pills that contained fentanyl from co-conspirators and then distributed the pills to others in the Sioux Falls area. She was personally involved in the distribution of more than 6,000 pills containing fentanyl.

The co-conspirators, who were indicted with Hanssen, are Kaitlin Tierra Meis, who pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine on January 5, 2024, and Lauren Gena Pourier, who pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine on December 21, 2024. Meis is set to be sentenced on April 1, 2024, and Pourier is set to be sentenced on March 11, 2024. Both Meis and Pourier are from Sioux Falls. 

This case was investigated by the FBI, South Dakota Highway Patrol, Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, and the Sioux Falls Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.

Hanssen was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.