Wanblee Man Pleads Guilty to Distributing Marijuana
| U.S. Attorney’s Office October 15, 2012 |
United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Royce Gone, age 32, of Wanblee, South Dakota, appeared before United States District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken on October 11, 2012, and pled guilty to a superseding information that charged him with distribution of a controlled substance. The maximum penalty upon conviction is five years in custody and a $250,000 fine.
On April 3, 2012, Gone distributed more than five grams of marijuana at Wanblee, South Dakota. The investigation was conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs-Office of Justice Services, the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Ted McBride.
A presentence investigation was ordered, and a sentencing date was set for January 14, 2013. The defendant was released on bond pending sentencing.