United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell has announced the sentencing of Misty Hornbeck, a 50-year-old woman from Allen, South Dakota. U.S. District Court Judge Karen E. Schreier sentenced Hornbeck to 11 years and three months in federal prison for her role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine on the Pine Ridge Reservation and in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Hornbeck's sentence also includes five years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. She was indicted by a federal grand jury in March 2024 and pleaded guilty on February 27, 2025.
The conviction is related to Hornbeck's involvement in distributing methamphetamine between Colorado and South Dakota. While residing in Colorado during the conspiracy, she supplied methamphetamine to her co-defendants who then transported it into South Dakota for further distribution. The operation involved between 500 grams and 1.5 kilograms of methamphetamine.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and the Badlands Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force, which includes agents from various law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Bureau of Indian Affairs Division of Drug Enforcement, Martin Police Department, and Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox prosecuted the case.
Following her sentencing, Hornbeck was remanded into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.