United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Newell, South Dakota, woman has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Distribution of a Controlled Substance.
Kimberly Rich, age 56, was indicted on February 17, 2022. She appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on February 25, 2022, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is forty years in federal prison and/or a $5,000,000 fine, a lifetime of supervised release, and a $100 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The Indictment alleges that in January 2022, Rich knowingly and intentionally distributed a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine, a Schedule II controlled substance. The charges are merely an accusation and Rich is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation and the Meade County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey Blair is prosecuting the case.
Rich was detained pending trial. A trial date has not been set.