Source: Office of United States Attorneys
SIOUX FALLS – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Distribution of a Controlled Substance Resulting in Death. The sentencing took place on January 27, 2025.
Johnny Allen Neighbors, age 25, was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison, followed by four years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Neighbors was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2023. He pleaded guilty on October 4, 2024.
The conviction stemmed from an incident on January 21, 2023, when Neighbors intentionally distributed a pill containing fentanyl to an adult woman who ingested it and died. Fentanyl is a Schedule II controlled substance.
“This is yet another example of the lethal nature of fentanyl,” said Alison J. Ramsdell, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota. “In an environment where just two milligrams of fentanyl can lead to death, it is imperative that we educate our loved ones on the dangers of fentanyl so that we can avoid the tragic loss of life.”
This case was investigated by the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.
Neighbors was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.