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Date: 10-18-2019
Case Style:
United States of America v. Michael Wayne Cooper
Case Number: 4:18-cr-40136-KES
Judge: Karen E. Schreier
Court: United States District Court for the District of South Dakota (Minnehaha Countyu)
Plaintiff's Attorney: Tamara Nash and Connie Larson
Defendant's Attorney:
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Description:
Sioux Falls, SD - Federal Jury Convicts Sioux Falls Man of Distribution of Fentanyl Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury and Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance
Michael Wayne Cooper, age 57, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was found guilty by a federal jury of one count of Distribution of a Controlled Substance Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury and one count of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance. U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier presided over the four-day trial held at the federal courthouse in downtown Sioux Falls.
The convictions carry with them a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, up to a maximum of life, and/or a $1 million to $10 million fine, a minimum of five years up to life of supervised release, and a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
“Those who seek to profit from the suffering of others by dealing drugs in South Dakota will be held accountable for the damage they inflict,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Cooper knowingly and intentionally distributed a controlled substance, namely fentanyl, resulting in the serious bodily injury of a victim in Sioux Falls, who overdosed on the fentanyl sold to him. The overdose victim was revived by first responders with two doses of Naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, which prevented his death.
The evidence at trial further demonstrated that Cooper had been involved in an ongoing conspiracy in Sioux Falls to illegally distribute hydromorphone (commonly known as Dilaudid), a Schedule II controlled substance, from about the beginning of 2015 through August 2018.
“The increasing prevalence of killer opioids like fentanyl, which we have found in everything from heroin to synthetic marijuana products and expertly manufactured imitation prescription pills, is an imminent threat to human life,” said U.S. Attorney Parsons. “Anyone who illegally obtains drugs cannot possibly know what the substance they receive actually contains. We must warn and educate everyone, especially our children, that no drug offered to you by friends, acquaintances, or dealers can be trusted. You are literally playing Russian roulette with your life when you ingest something.”
This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Sioux Falls Police Department, and Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force.
Following the jury’s verdict, Cooper was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. After a presentence investigation, Cooper will be sentenced on December 30, 2019.
Charge:
21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) DISTRIBUTION OF A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE RESULTING IN SERIOUS BODILY INJURY
(1ss)
21 U.S.C. §§ 841(a)(1) and 846 CONSPIRACY TO DISTRIBUTE A CONTROLLED SUBSTANCE
(2ss)
Outcome: 10/11/2019 202 SENTENCING SCHEDULING ORDER as to Michael Wayne Cooper. Sentencing set for 12/30/2019 at 10:00 AM in Sioux Falls Courtroom 2* before U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier. Signed by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier on 10/11/2019. (DJP) (Entered: 10/11/2019)
Plaintiff's Experts:
Defendant's Experts:
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