Jessica Castleberry

Jessica Castleberry (born October 7, 1982) is an American politician and businesswoman who served as a member of the South Dakota Senate from District 35. She was appointed to the senate by Governor Kristi Noem to replace Lynne DiSanto on December 31, 2019. She stepped down in 2023 following an investigation into her misclaiming federal COVID-19 funding.

Personal life Castleberry was born and raised in Rapid City, South Dakota, where she operates preschools and has served on the Rapid City Area Schools Strategic Planning Committee.

Political career Castleberry first entered politics after being appointed by the Governor of South Dakota, Kristi Noem to replace Lynne DiSanto due to DiSanto resigning her seat in order to move to Montana.

The information that Castleberry had done this came to light in 2023, when Governor Noem revealed it in a press release due to a Social Services Department worker recognising her name on an application, and stated that Castleberry had voted on legislation related to the funding in a conflict of interest. The Attorney General of South Dakota demanded she repay the money or face legal action. Despite initially denying it, Castleberry resigned in August 2023 after agreeing to repay $500,000 in federal COVID-19 relief funds; the earlier acceptance of the funds was determined to have violated the South Dakota constitution. Though she started making payments, by 2025 she had stopped making payments.