Twenty-Second Defendant Sentenced in St. Croix Tribal Drug Investigation

May 25, 2010 - MADISON, WI—Stephen P. Sinnott, United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that Derrick Rapley, 31, Detroit, MI, was sentenced yesterday to 13 years in prison without parole by U.S. District Judge Barbara B. Crabb. Rapley previously pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to distribute crack cocaine on St. Croix tribal lands from approximately April 2006 to June 2008.

In sentencing Rapley, Judge Crabb noted his lengthy criminal history which began with a violent carjacking when he was 17, and also the fact that he came to the St. Croix reservation from Detroit, sold crack cocaine, and preyed on a vulnerable population.

With yesterday’s sentencing, 22 defendants have now been sentenced as a result of this investigation into drug dealing on St. Croix tribal lands. The previous defendants sentenced are set forth below:

Name Crime of Conviction Sentence Imposed

Joseph Merrill Distribution of Crack Cocaine 4 years
Manley L. Williams Distribution of Crack Cocaine 8 years, 4 months
Christifer Sonnenberg Distribution of Crack Cocaine 5 years, 6 months
Jean Sonnenberg Conspiracy to Distribute Crack Cocaine 19 years, 7 months
Bruce Sonnenberg Conspiracy to Distribute Crack Cocaine 24 years, 4 months
Amanda Sonnenberg Distribution of Crack Cocaine 3 years, 10 months
George Rainey Distribution of Crack Cocaine 14 years
Bruce Rainey Distribution of Crack Cocaine 17 years, 6 months
Diana Martin Conspiracy to Distribute Crack Cocaine 9 years
Margrette Cobb Conspiracy to Distribute Crack Cocaine 13 years, 4 months
Andrew Sonnenberg Distribution of Crack Cocaine 17 years, 6 months
Ericka J. Reynolds Conspiracy to Distribute Crack Cocaine 1 year, 6 months
Shaleah Reynolds Distribution of Crack Cocaine 2 years
Michael D. Hammond Distribution of Crack Cocaine 12 years, 7 months
Steven R. Lang Distribution of Methamphetamine 4 years
Shana Corbine Distribution of Crack Cocaine 4 years, 3 months
Linda Lightfeather Operating a Crack House 5 months
Buck Zehner Operating a Crack House 8 months
Janeen Mosay Operating a Crack House 6 months
Frankie Bildeau Distribution of Crack Cocaine 12 months, 1 day
Broderick Swain Conspiracy to Distribute Crack Cocaine 54 months

United States Attorney Sinnott stated that yesterday’s sentencing was the result of a long-term investigation being conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the St. Croix Tribal Police Department; the Rice Lake Police Department; the Barron County Sheriff's Department; the Burnett County Sheriff's Department; the Sawyer County Sheriff’s Department; the Polk County Sheriff's Department; the Native American Drug & Gang Initiative; and the Wisconsin State Patrol.

As set out above, twenty-two defendants have now been convicted of federal drug offenses as a result of this investigation. Louis and Brandon Belisle pleaded guilty on April 14 and will be sentenced on July 12. John Carr, Derrick Rapley, and Broderick Swain were charged in a nine-count indictment returned by the grand jury on December 2, 2009. John Carr is scheduled to plead guilty on May 26, 2010.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Vaudreuil is handling the prosecution of these cases.