Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Martin, South Dakota, woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and Possession of a Firearm by a Prohibited Person.
Carly Shott, age 23, was indicted on September 9, 2020. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark A. Moreno on June 17, 2021, and pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is 40 years in federal prison and/or a $5,000,000 fine, a lifetime of supervised release, a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund, and forfeiture of a firearm. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that between 2018 and 2019, Shott knowingly and intentionally conspired with others to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine in South Dakota. Further, on August 30, 2019, Shott possessed a handgun at a hotel in Eagle Butte, South Dakota, while being a user of methamphetamine.
The charges are merely accusations and Shott is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
Drug trafficking is an inherently violent activity. Firearms are tools of the trade for drug dealers. It is common to find drug traffickers armed with guns in order to protect their illegal drug product and cash, and enforce their illegal operations.
This case is being prosecuted as part of the joint federal, state, and local Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Program, the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.
The investigation is being conducted by the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services, the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook is prosecuting the case.
Shott was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
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