Wanblee Woman Sentenced for Intoxicants Possessed Unlawfully in Indian Country

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Wanblee, South Dakota, woman charged with Intoxicants Possessed Unlawfully in Indian Country was sentenced on July 31, 2012, by United States Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy. Florine Chipps, a/k/a Florine Conquering Bear, age 62, was sentenced to time served, six months’ of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $25 special assessment to the Victim Assistance Fund.

Chipps was indicted for Intoxicants Possessed Unlawfully in Indian Country and Dispensing Intoxicants in Indian Country by a federal grand jury on February 22, 2012. The charges stemmed from a joint Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety and Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services, operation targeting "bootlegging" of alcohol on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. Chipps pled guilty to the charge of Intoxicants Possessed Unlawfully in Indian Country on May 29, 2012.

This case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs, Office of Justice Services, and the Oglala Sioux Tribe Department of Public Safety.