Nebraska Woman Sentenced to 20 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine in the Pine Ridge Reservation and Rapid City

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Court Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Chadron, Nebraska, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance.

Casey Lopez, age 51, was sentenced on April 21, 2025, to 20 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

Lopez was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2024 and pleaded guilty on January 17, 2025.

Lopez and others distributed significant amounts of methamphetamine in Pine Ridge and Rapid City. Lopez was a leader in the conspiracy, setting prices, organizing the distribution, and enabling a Mexican cartel to gain inroads into the Pine Ridge Reservation. In sentencing Lopez, Judge Schreier denounced how Lopez' actions severely damaged the community. Judge Schreier also noted the drugs Lopez was distributing came from Mexican cartels and constituted 100% pure methamphetamine.

This case was investigated by Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Drug Enforcement Administration and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case.

Lopez was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service following sentencing.