Sioux Falls Man Sentenced for Conspiracy to Distribute Fentanyl

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Lawrence L. Piersol has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. The sentencing took place on October 7, 2024.

Nathan John Barnhart, age 24, was sentenced to two years and nine months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

Barnhart was indicted by a federal grand jury in March of 2024. He pleaded guilty on July 22, 2024.

The conviction stemmed from incidents over the course of many months until March of 2024, when Barnhart knowingly combined, conspired, and agreed with others to distribute fentanyl. Barnhart obtained the fentanyl pills from a co-conspirator and distributed them to others in the Sioux Falls area. A search warrant was executed at Barnhart's residence and found pills containing fentanyl with a total weight of approximately 43 grams. Investigators later learned that Barnhart was involved in distributing approximately 2,700 fentanyl pills in the Sioux Falls area. Fentanyl is a Schedule II controlled substance.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the Sioux Falls Police Department, the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force, and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Hodges prosecuted the case.

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