RAPID CITY, S.D. – A Rapid City-based federal prosecutor has received national recognition from the U.S. Department of Justice for her efforts prosecuting violent crime on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen has been selected for the Justice Department’s 2026 Director’s Award for her work in Indian Country. U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons says Poppen was honored for her contributions to public safety on the Oglala Sioux Tribe’s Pine Ridge Reservation, where she has spent more than a decade prosecuting violent offenders.
According to federal officials, Poppen has helped secure convictions against hundreds of defendants in cases involving homicide, sexual abuse, and assaults with dangerous weapons, often involving some of the reservation’s most vulnerable residents.
Poppen was among 183 Department of Justice employees recognized during an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. This marks the second time she has received the Director’s Award for her work in Indian Country.
Federal officials say the recognition highlights her longstanding commitment to public safety and justice in tribal communities.
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