Rosebud Man Sentenced for Obtaining Controlled Substances by Deception

Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Rosebud, South Dakota, man convicted of Obtaining Controlled Substances by Deception was sentenced on August 2, 2021, by Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court.

Michael Brian Whirlwind Soldier, age 47, was sentenced to one month in federal prison, one year of supervised release, a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100, and restitution in the amount of $4,428.98 to the Rosebud Ambulance Service and Crow Creek Ambulance Service.

Whirlwind Soldier was indicted by a federal grand jury on September 9, 2020.  He pled guilty on August 2, 2021.

The conviction stemmed from incidents that occurred between December 17, 2019, and July 28, 2020, in the District of South Dakota, wherein Whirlwind Soldier, while employed as a paramedic with the Rosebud and Crow Creek Ambulance Services, knowingly and intentionally stole hundreds of vials of fentanyl, morphine, and hydromorphone from the ambulance services.  Whirlwind Soldier consumed all of the substances he stole. 

This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Law Enforcement Services.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook prosecuted the case.

Whirlwind Soldier was ordered to turn himself into the custody of the U.S. Marshals service within one week of sentencing.