Los Angeles, California Man Sentenced to More Than 2 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Los Angeles, California, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on March 16, 2026.

Isaiah Croom, 23, was sentenced to two years and six months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Croom was indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in November 2024. He pleaded guilty on December 15, 2025.

In late 2024, Croom operated as a member of a California-based drug trafficking organization that brought large quantities of methamphetamine and fentanyl from California to South Dakota and used short-term rental properties as bases of operation to distribute the drugs in and around Sioux Falls. Croom participated in the conspiracy by delivering drugs to customers and collecting cash.

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 DEA, the USPIS, the IRS, and the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Joyce prosecuted the case.

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