Date: June 29, 2026

Contact: [email protected]

Rapid City - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Rapid City, woman convicted of Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering. The sentencing took place on June 26, 2026.

A'Aliyah LeClaire was sentenced to one year and one day in federal prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

LeClaire was indicted for Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering by a federal grand jury in March 2025. She pleaded guilty on April 17, 2026.

LeClaire was involved with moving money generated from a cocaine conspiracy that spanned from Texas to Rapid City. A source in Texas supplied cocaine through the mail to an individual in Rapid City. LeClaire assisted that individual with moving the money by helping make deposits and by allowing her accounts to be utilized to transfer the money to help hide the nature and ownership of the money.

"Whether you're moving the drugs or moving the drug money, you can expect to hear from us sooner or later," said U.S. Attorney Parsons.

"It doesn't matter how big or small a person's role is when it comes to assisting drug traffickers, IRS-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) will be relentless in pursuing those who bring drugs into our communities. Our special agents will follow the money to a criminal's door," said IRS-CI St. Louis Special Agent in Charge William Steenson. "Every prison sentence is a result of the incredible coordination between federal, state and local law enforcement and it's a victory for the people of South Dakota."

This case was investigated by IRS-Criminal Investigation, the Unified Narcotics Enforcement Team (UNET), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), and South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation. UNET is comprised of law enforcement from the Pennington County Sheriff's Office, the Rapid City Police Department, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the South Dakota Highway Patrol, and the South Dakota National Guard. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.

LeClaire has been ordered to self-surrender.

IRS-CI is the law enforcement arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. It is the only federal law enforcement agency with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code. IRS-CI has 18 field offices located across the U.S. and maintains an international presence through attaché posts abroad.