A Sioux Falls man has been sentenced to 22 years in federal prison for distributing a controlled substance resulting in death. U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange delivered the sentence on January 27, 2025.
Johnny Allen Neighbors, aged 25, will also serve four years of supervised release and pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Neighbors was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2023 and pleaded guilty on October 4, 2024.
The case arose from an incident on January 21, 2023, when Neighbors distributed a pill containing fentanyl to an adult woman who ingested it and died. Fentanyl is classified as a Schedule II controlled substance.
“This is yet another example of the lethal nature of fentanyl,” said Alison J. Ramsdell, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota. “In an environment where just two milligrams of fentanyl can lead to death, it is imperative that we educate our loved ones on the dangers of fentanyl so that we can avoid the tragic loss of life.”
The Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force investigated the case, which was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges.
Neighbors has been remanded into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.