Supplier of drugs to murdered dealer gets two years in prison

A woman who trucked 270 pounds of marijuana from California to South Dakota as part of a far-reaching pot distribution ring was sentenced to two years and three months in federal prison on Tuesday.

The drugs collected by 35-year-old Holly Christine Kleinsasser eventually made it into the hands of several dealers in southeastern South Dakota, including Jordan LeBeau and the young men who plotted to rob him of $100,000 in drug money last December.

LeBeau and his father were both shot during the robbery. LeBeau was killed, his father was permanently injured.

LeBeau's girlfriend and supplier – Kleinsasser's half-sister Faith Rasmussen – was indicted for trafficking more than 220 pounds of marijuana early this year, shortly after the robbery conspirators who sold pot for her were charged in state court with LeBeau's murder.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John Haak told Judge Karen Schreier that Kleinsasser's trips to California and the drug deals the supply facilitated were connected to the tragic end of the 19-year-old's life, even though she had nothing to do with the robbery itself.

"This marijuana generated huge profits, and the people involved in this business decided to rob Jordan LeBeau," Haak said. "Is Holly responsible for that? No. But she was involved."

The pre-sentence report on Kleinsasser's case said she made two trips to California, picking up 270 pounds of marijuana in total. She was paid $6,000 for each trip, Haak said, and later helped set up trips made by her husband, Wesley.

Kleinsasser's father and two former employers wrote letters on her behalf to tell the judge she was a hard and reliable worker and a good mother to her children, ages 17, 8 and 7.

After telling the judge she understood how serious the crime was and apologizing for her actions, Kleinsasser told Judge Karen Schreier that money was the primary motivation for her involvement in the business.

"This is a mistake I made in my life at a time when I was struggling financially and emotionally," Kleinsasser said.

Her lawyer, Brett Waltner, asked Schreier to sentence Kleinsasser below the federal guideline range that had been calculated from the weight of marijuana and his client's clean criminal record: Between 27 and 33 months.

A downward departure from the recommended sentence would make sense for his client, Waltner said, as she was a relatively minor player in a major operation who would be certain to stay out of trouble after her sentencing.

She never sold any marijuana to anyone, Waltner said, but was paid for collecting the drugs for other people.

"She's lost a job, she lost a lot of friends, and she's endured a lot of public shame due to what's happened on the state side of this case – probably a lot more than what you'd see in a similar case," Waltner said. "Society does not have to worry about her re-offending."

Judge Schreier told Kleinsasser she saw her as "almost two different people." On one hand, she's a good mother and a respected co-worker. On the other, she's a person who "knew it was wrong" when her half-sister first delivered marijuana to her home, yet decided to get involved anyway.

The death of LeBeau, Schreier said, points to the predictable violence involved in underground drug sales.

"With almost half the (drug) cases that I see, there's violence attached. There are thefts by people who can't afford drugs. There are children who go unattended," the judge said. "That's part of the reason drugs are illegal."

Kleinsasser was given until Monday to turn herself in. Waltner said his client needed the time to sign off on guardianships for her two younger children before her prison term begins.

Each co-defendant in the federal drug case has pleaded guilty. She's the first to be sentenced.

Three of the five men charged in the LeBeau homicide have pleaded guilty to manslaughter and face up to life in prison. The others await trial.