Sioux Falls Women Sentenced to 16 Years and 10 Years in Federal Prison for Conspiring to Distribute Methamphetamine

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief U.S. District Judge Roberto A. Lange has sentenced two Sioux Falls women convicted of Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance.

Hailey Schneiderman, 25, was sentenced to 16 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. The sentencing took place on August 4, 2025.

Heather Downey, 54, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. The sentencing took place on August 25, 2025.

Schneiderman and Downey were indicted for Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance by a federal grand jury in November 2024. Schneiderman pleaded guilty on May 8, 2025. Downey pleaded guilty on June 4, 2025.

Schneiderman obtained methamphetamine from a source in California and sold it to Downey and others in the Sioux Falls area. Downey also sold methamphetamine in the Sioux Falls area. Schneiderman was identified when she twice sold methamphetamine to a confidential informant. In total, those sales involved more than 100 grams of methamphetamine.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Sioux Falls Area Drug Task Force, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Joyce prosecuted the case.

This prosecution is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) investigation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

Schneiderman and Downey were immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.