United States of America v. Alysia Peneaux

Sioux Falls, South Dakota, criminal defense lawyer represented the Defendant charged with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

Alysia Peneaux, 32, served as a sub-distributor for a California- and Nevada-based drug trafficking organization which transported large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl from California to South Dakota and distributed it in the Sioux Falls area. Peneaux purchased methamphetamine from the organization, which she then re-sold to others in the Sioux Falls area. Peneaux admitted to personally distributing more than 500 grams of methamphetamine. Peneaux also participated in the operation by allowing members of the drug trafficking organization to store bulk quantities of drugs at her residence, commonly referred to as a “stash house.”

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.

HSTF Minneapolis comprises agents and officers from FBI, HSI, DEA, ATF, USMS, USPIS, SD DCI, SFPD, MCSO, and SDHP with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, the IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force, the Sioux Falls Police Department, and the South Dakota Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Joyce prosecuted the case.

Peneaux was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

The Defendant was found guilty and was sentenced to 120 months in custody; 5 years supervised release; $100 Special Assessment.