Rosebud Man Sentenced for Meth Trafficking and Witness Tampering
United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Rosebud, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine and Tampering with a Witness was sentenced on May 18, 2020, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.
Clinton Haukaas, a/k/a Fuddy Haukaas, age 40, was sentenced to 138 months in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, a $1,000 fine, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $200. Haukaas was also ordered to forfeit ownership of a rifle seized during the investigation.
Haukaas was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 11, 2018. Multiple superseding indictments were filed with the last being on December 10, 2019. He pled guilty on February 18, 2020.
The conviction stemmed from a methamphetamine conspiracy that began on or about January 1, 2014, and continued to December 10, 2018, where Haukaas conspired with others to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine on the Rosebud Sioux Indian Reservation in South Dakota. Further, while in custody awaiting trial, Haukaas possessed a list containing the names of twenty-eight potential witnesses against him. He coordinated the publication of the list on a social media website in an attempt to intimidate the witnesses to prevent their testimony at trial.
This case was investigated by the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services; the Bureau of Indian Affairs; the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation; the City of Pierre, South Dakota, Police Department; the South Dakota Highway Patrol; and the Northern Plains Safe Trails Drug Enforcement Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook prosecuted the case.
Haukaas was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
