Five found guilty of drug crimes

By Heida Bell Gease
Rapid City Journal

RAPID CITY - A federal jury found five accused drug traffickers guilty of all charges Wednesday, and an Oglala Sioux Tribal councilman greeted the news with mixed emotions.

"I can't say how happy I am that Geraldine Blue Bird got convicted," Pine Ridge tribal council representative Will Peters said. "But my heart breaks that these young ones have their lives devastated. My heart just hurts."

Federal prosecutors said Blue Bird was the ringleader of a cocaine trafficking operation based in Pine Ridge. Most of the 17 people indicted in the case reached plea agreements with the government. The others - Blue Bird, Colin Spotted Elk, Marvella Richards, Flint Thomas Red Feather and Rusty Richards - went on trial here in federal court two weeks ago.

The case went to the jury late Tuesday afternoon. On Wednesday, a jury of 10 women and two men spent less than six hours before returning guilty verdicts on all counts. All five co-defendants were found guilty of conspiracy to distribute 5 kilograms or more of a controlled substance.

Blue Bird was also convicted on charges of possession with intent to distribute cocaine, conspiracy to distribute marijuana and using or carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. Spotted Elk, who is Blue Bird's son, also was found guilty of conspiracy to distribute marijuana, distribution of cocaine and possession of a firearm in connection with a drug-trafficking crime. Red Feather, who was raised by Blue Bird, also was convicted of possession with intent to distribute cocaine.

Peters had tears in his eyes as he spoke after the verdicts about the young lives destroyed by drugs on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. He also ached for the young families of those convicted Wednesday.

"I guess (Blue Bird) was proud that they called her the 'Godmother,' but to me, she's a disgrace," Peters said. "She's responsible for single-handedly ruining the lives of every young person involved in this."

Peters said he and his wife are related to several of those younger people. Many tried hard to get out of "this life," as Peters called it, but couldn't.

Even with these dealers out of business, Peters said, there is still a drug problem on the reservation. "What happened here is just the tip of the iceberg, I would say."

But he hopes Wednesday's convictions might prompt more people to get involved with their kids, take a stand against drugs and try to provide youths with good role models. "We just have to do more to give our young people a chance to live this life in a good way," Peters said.

Wednesday's jury deliberations took an interesting turn when jurors sent a note to U.S. District Judge Karen Schreier, saying, "We have a juror that feels that doing cocaine is alright and that no crime was actually committed. We feel that reason and common sense are not being applied. Do we have any options?"

According to federal court documents, Schreier's response to the jury stated that "you must follow the law as stated in my instructions, whether you agree with it or not."

Schreier wrote, "When you took your oath to serve as a juror, you swore to 'render a true verdict according to the law and the evidence.' It is your duty to follow the jury instructions and uphold your oath."

Blue Bird, Spotted Elk, Richards, Red Feather and Richards were taken into custody after the trial. No sentencing date has been set, but a federal official said each will spend at least 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy because of the volume of drugs involved. The conspiracy and firearms charges are both punishable by up to life in prison.