District of Montana

GREAT FALLS – Two Michigan men and a Montanan made their initial appearance in federal court today on suspicion of trafficking methamphetamine onto the Fort Peck Indian Reservation, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Vincent Earl Thompson, 26, from Clayton, Michigan; Derrick Byrd, 38, from Detroit, Michigan; and Michael Dean Grey Bear, 24, from Poplar, were arrested in September 2026 on suspicion of possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. 

The government alleges in court documents that Grey Bear was part of a drug trafficking operation that included Thompson and Byrd, who together moved significant amounts of meth from Michigan to the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. The three men were arrested while traveling together onto the Fort Peck Indian Reservation with methamphetamine in the vehicle.

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Montana comprises agents and officers from federal, state and local agencies with the prosecution being led by Assistant United States Attorney Thomas Godfrey for the District of Montana.

GREAT FALLS – A Great Falls man who was dealing fentanyl from a motel room was sentenced Monday to five years and four months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Brayden Lucas Sangrey, 20, pleaded guilty in May 2026 to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Sangrey was arrested in a Great Falls motel room on two outstanding state warrants by the U.S. Marshal’s Violent Offender Task Force. During the arrest, law enforcement found $2,500 in cash, a small box with 65 grams of fentanyl, and drug paraphernalia.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Great Falls Police Department and the U.S. Marshals Service conducted the investigation.

BILLINGS – A North Dakota woman who seriously injured two people after she drove into their car while intoxicated was sentenced Friday to a year and three months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Kaylee Shy Ann Little Coyote, 26, pleaded guilty in May 2026 to two counts of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Little Coyote, with a blood alcohol content nearly three times the legal limit, drifted into oncoming traffic while driving her pickup truck on Highway 212 outside of Lame Deer. The wreck happened just before 6 a.m. on April 6, 2025. 

First to arrive on the scene were BIA officers, who found a Ford F-150 and an SUV on the side of the highway, both with heavy front end damage. A woman was on the ground next to the SUV calling out in pain and a man was pinned inside between the dashboard and the driver’s seat. Little Coyote and her passenger in the truck were both injured; all four were taken to an area hospital for treatment. The two injured in the SUV were eventually taken to St. Vincent Regional Hospital in Billings. The woman had multiple vertebral and rib fractures and a perforated colon, which required surgery. The man sustained injuries to his lungs and shoulder.

Investigators learned Little Coyote had been traveling at 80 mph when she crossed the center line of the highway and struck the SUV. At the clinic, medical staff drew Little Coyote’s blood and found it had an alcohol concentration of 0.216%. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Yerger prosecuted the case. The BIA, Montana Highway Patrol, and Rosebud County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.

BILLINGS – A Michigan man who was trafficking methamphetamine in Billings was sentenced Friday to 10 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Jemichael Leon McCoy, Jr., 23, pleaded guilty in June 2026 to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.

The government alleged in court documents that McCoy was found hiding baggies of meth in the bathroom of a Billings man on state probation. Montana Probation and Parole had arrived at the house on May 19, 2026, after learning that the probationer there may have been interacting with a woman from whom he was barred contact. 

Upon entering the home, officers found the probationer; the woman was hiding in the basement. Officers noticed drug paraphernalia scattered about and heard noises from the bathroom. Inside they found McCoy with a black backpack and a black plastic shopping bag. Officers contacted the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and sought a warrant to search the entire house. 

With the warrant, they found 25 clear plastic baggies with a pound and a half of suspected meth hidden inside the toilet tank. They found a Ruger handgun, a small digital scale, a clear plastic baggy with suspected meth, and $700 cash in McCoy’s backpack.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Rubich prosecuted the case. The Billings Police Department and the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force conducted the investigation.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

BILLINGS – A Mexican national who was trafficking cocaine in Billings and illegally owned a pair of handguns was sentenced Friday to two years in prison, after which he will be remanded to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Raul Molina-Mendoza, 34, pleaded guilty in May 2026 to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and unlawfully possessing a firearm.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

The government alleged in court documents that law enforcement began investigating Molina-Mendoza in June 2025 after learning from a source that he was trafficking cocaine into Billings. Molina-Mendoza travelled to Denver that month to pick up a quarter-pound of cocaine.

In September 2025, investigators learned Molina-Mendoza was working with his brother Jose Molina-Mendoza to sell cocaine. After learning the brothers were planning another trip to Denver, law enforcement placed a tracker on the White Escalade they were driving. 

Billings police pulled over the brothers on Oct. 9, 2025, after watching the Escalade make an illegal U-turn. A drug-sniffing dog alerted officers that illicit material was possibly inside. Investigators then sought warrants for the vehicle and for the house where the two men lived. 

Searching the house, investigators found 137 grams of cocaine, two 9MM handguns, and $16,000 cash. They found another 127 grams of cocaine in the garbage can, 21 baggies filled with 1 gram of cocaine each, and cell phones. In the vehicle, investigators discovered $4,203 in cash and drug paraphernalia.

Jose Molina-Mendoza pleaded guilty to drug charges in February 2026. He was sentenced last month to time served and was remanded to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation proceedings.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Yerger prosecuted the case. The Billings Police Department, FBI, and the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force conducted the investigation.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

GREAT FALLS – A Heart Butte man who shot at a family, including two children, on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation was sentenced today to two years and three months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said. The court also imposed a $7,500 fine as part of its sentence.

Raymond David Boggs, Jr., 53, pleaded guilty in June 2026 to assault with a dangerous weapon and two counts of felony child abuse.

U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.

The government alleged in court documents that a woman and her son called 911 on May 14, 2024, to report that Raymond Boggs was firing a gun at them. The woman and her son were cleaning out a family property along with the woman’s 12-year-old nephew and her 11-year-old niece. 

When law enforcement arrived, the woman and her son explained that Boggs had yelled at them from his property while he watched them from a golf cart. He later returned in a truck, pulled a gun, and fired at the group while they were outside. He continued to shoot into the house when the four took shelter inside. The woman and her nephew described hearing two different sounding gunshots. They then pointed out Boggs to the officers as he drove around on a golf cart. Law enforcement canvassed the area between the two houses and ultimately contacted Boggs, who was riding in a golf cart and had a shotgun with him. Boggs was detained, and the shotgun was taken into evidence. 

Law enforcement found spent shell casings and a spent shotgun shell where Boggs had been shooting; ballistic evidence showed the shotgun shell had been fired from Boggs’ shotgun. Officers also found bullet holes in the exterior of the house that traveled into the house, and they found bullet holes in vehicles parked alongside the house. They also recovered a bullet from a couch inside the home. When the occupants of the house were interviewed after the shooting, all four named Boggs as the shooter. The quartet described feeling terrified that they would be hurt or killed as Boggs shot into the house.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The BIA, Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services, Glacier County Sheriff’s Office, and Pondera County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.

BILLINGS – A Billings woman who stole a handgun from an unlocked pickup truck was sentenced Friday to three years and 10 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Cassie Marie Carlos, 38, pleaded guilty in May 2026 to unlawfully possessing a firearm and possessing a stolen firearm.

U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Carlos stole a handgun while on probation for a Yellowstone County felony drug charge. Billings police took a call from Carlos’s mother, who told officers her daughter had given her a stolen firearm. She also let them know Carlos was on parole.

Earlier in the week, a man had called BPD to report that overnight someone had stolen a gun from his unlocked pickup. The weapon, a Smith & Wesson M&P 10MM pistol, was the same make and model as the handgun Carlos gave her mom. Investigators learned Carlos had been “car hopping” that night and stole a firearm, wallet, and cash. Her fingerprint was found on the gun case and on the pistol’s magazine. Along with Carlos’s state drug charge, she also had been convicted of felony drug possession in Idaho in 2024.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Billings Police Department and the ATF conducted the investigation.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities

BILLINGS – An Absorkee man who was unlawfully carrying a firearm in his truck was sentenced Friday to 15 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Joseph Robert MacDonald, 35, pleaded guilty in April 2026 to unlawful possession of a firearm.

U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.

The government alleged in court documents that MacDonald, due to a previous state conviction, was barred from possessing a firearm. On Dec. 5, 2025, Billings police pulled over a pickup with a missing front license plate and an obscured rear plate. MacDonald was the driver and he immediately got out of the truck and walked toward the officer, who arrested him on a warrant out of Stillwater County. State Probation and Parole authorized a search of his truck and inside the console, law enforcement found a Canik Mete MC9 handgun. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Billings Police Department and ATF conducted the investigation.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

BILLINGS – A Mexican national who illegally reentered the U.S. after having been previously removed at least once was sentenced Thursday to six months in prison, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Saul Partida-Ventura, 50, pleaded guilty in August 2026 to illegally reentering the United States.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

The government alleged in court documents that law enforcement encountered Partida-Ventura in Billings on July 9, 2026, when they pulled over a dark-colored Nissan Frontier with Nevada license plates. Partida-Ventura, who was in the vehicle, had previously been identified as potentially being in the country illegally. Partida-Ventura has been previously removed from the United States four times. Law enforcement detained him and confirmed he was a Mexican citizen who last had been removed from the U.S. in 2011. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. U.S. Customs and Border Protection conducted the investigation.

BILLINGS – A Billings man, who was a main figure in a drug trafficking organization that moved significant amounts of methamphetamine and cocaine, was sentenced Thursday to 14 years and two months in prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Raymond Eugene Best, Jr., 44, pleaded guilty in May 2026 to one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

The government alleged in court documents that in 2023, law enforcement began investigating a drug trafficking ring based out of Mexico that was bringing illegal narcotics to Wyoming, South Dakota, California, Montana, including Billings, and elsewhere. The group, which included Best, was distributing methamphetamine, cocaine, and fentanyl.

The Billings Police Department received information from a source on June 12, 2023, that Best was the “main man” in Billings, bringing in 50 to 100 pounds of meth and tens of thousands of fentanyl pills. Best was described as a non-user, but a dealer who stored drugs at other people’s houses. Another source provided additional insight into Best’s dealing in Billings.

Later that month, BPD learned about an apartment belonging to Stephanie Marie Nava, a member of the ring, that was used for storing drugs for Best. Using a search warrant, officers found 7 grams of fentanyl pills and 16.7 grams of meth in a back bedroom. 

Nava, 38, was sentenced in January 2026 to five years in prison on drug trafficking charges. 

In August 2023, law enforcement searched a co-conspirator’s hotel room in Billings and found nearly 3 pounds of methamphetamine. Investigators determined the original amount was 8 pounds, but most had been distributed to other people. Best and Nava, who were in Mexico at the time, coordinated the re-distribution of the original 8-pound quantity. An additional search on another house turned up 8 more ounces of meth.

Phone messages and other electronic communications showed Best’s continued involvement in the distribution of meth and cocaine in 2023. Messages were also being sent by Nava using the same Facebook account, including: “Are you ready for another pound yet?” and “Cause you almost paid off.”

Best was previously convicted in federal court of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine in 2012, when he was sentenced to prison for over 13 years. Best was still on federal supervised release when he committed these latest crimes.

He was eventually apprehended in Mexico after fleeing the country. Working closely with Mexican authorities, the DEA and U.S. Marshal Service captured Best and brought him back to the U.S. to face prosecution. 

This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Montana comprises agents and officers from a number of federal agencies as well as drug task forces throughout the state, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The DEA, Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force, and Billings Police Department conducted the investigation as part of the HSTF.

GREAT FALLS – A Harlem man who tried to hide a tin of fentanyl pills under a child’s leg was sentenced Wednesday to two years and 11 months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Harold Edwin Main, 29, pleaded guilty in May 2026 to possession of methamphetamine and fentanyl with intent to distribute.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Main was driving in Fort Belknap on April 15, 2024, with another adult and two children. Fort Belknap police pulled him over and in the vehicle the officer found methamphetamine and 42 fentanyl pills. The majority of the pills were found in an Altoids tin tucked under the leg of one of the children. 

Following the traffic stop Fort Belknap police served a search warrant on Main’s house on Fort Belknap. There officers discovered more meth, some of it bagged, along with two digital scales, packaging material with smaller baggies, small blue and white pills, and other drug paraphernalia. Officers seized a total of 5 grams of methamphetamine.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura Ferrari-Agudelo is prosecuting the case. Fort Belknap Law Enforcement Services conducted the investigation.

BILLINGS – A Guatemalan man who illegally reentered the United States was sentenced Wednesday to 18 months in prison, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Raul Pelico-Puac, 40, pleaded guilty in May 2026 to illegal reentry into the United States.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Pelico-Puac was arrested in Yellowstone County in September 2024 on suspicion of robbery. During the investigation, law enforcement learned Pelico-Puac was a Guatemalan citizen and was in the country without legal status; he had been removed previously for illegal reentry in 2009 and 2020.

Pelico-Puac was ultimately sentenced in Montana District Court to five years in prison with three years suspended for robbery. He began his parole on March 9, 2026. Once he was released from state custody he was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and charged with the offense of illegal reentry.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement conducted the investigation.

BILLINGS – A Billings man, who was receiving shipments of illicit drugs through the mail while staying in a sober living house, was sentenced Wednesday to four years and a month in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Drury Daniel Hill, 27, pleaded guilty in March 2026 to attempted possession with intent to distribute carfentanil.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Hill was receiving fentanyl pills through the mail while staying in a sober living house in Billings. Law enforcement searched postal records in January 2026 and found multiple packages had been shipped from an address in Missoula to Hill in Billings. The distributor in Missoula had been recently arrested but investigators learned he had likely connected Hill with his source in California.

Law enforcement then intercepted a package sent from a California address to Hill in Billings. With a warrant, investigators searched the parcel and found roughly 2,000 pills of what appeared to be fentanyl. Testing later found the pills consisted of the fentanyl analogue, carfentanil.

Agents replaced the pills in the package and then sent it to the Billings address, where they monitored the delivery. After a short time, Hill arrived and picked up the package. He was arrested shortly after and admitted to ordering the pills through the California source. He said he planned to sell them.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Rubich prosecuted the case. The United State Postal Inspection Service and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation.

GREAT FALLS – A Wolf Point woman, who was part of group that beat a man to death last year, was sentenced today to 11 years and four months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Abrianne Lillian Deserly, 26, pleaded guilty in August 2026 to voluntary manslaughter.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Deserly was part of group that beat a man to death in an abandoned house on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. 

The victim was found dead on Feb. 26, 2025, on the second floor of a house in Wolf Point, described by area residents as a local “flop house” where people occasionally went to drink and sleep. Investigators found that Deserly and others, after a night of drinking, had gone in the house in the early morning hours of Feb. 26 and found the victim asleep on the second floor. With Deserly were Calvin Florin Lester, 37, and Dillon Demery Wetsit, 41.

Lester was sentenced on Sept. 3 to nearly 11 years in prison for his role in the man’s death. Wetsit pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in June; he will be sentenced on Oct. 15. 

The assault happened after an argument broke out and Deserly, along with Lester and Wetsit, began to hit the victim. Things escalated and they beat him severely. A witness described seeing Deserly kick the victim in the face. At one point, the victim was placed in a chokehold while other members of the group hit him. A medical examination showed the victim died from “homicidal violence” with neck compression and blunt injuries to the head.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Fort Peck Tribes Criminal Investigation and FBI conducted the investigation.

MISSOULA – A Hamilton man who unlawfully stored a cache of firearms at his house was sentenced today to 24 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

After a one-day trial on April 13, 2026, a jury found Shawn Ryan Cowan, 46, guilty of unlawfully possessing a firearm.

U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided.

The government alleged in court documents and at trial that Cowan, who had previously been convicted of multiple felonies, was keeping guns in his home. A tip to law enforcement led investigators to seek a warrant and search Cowan’s home. 

There they found:

• Ruger SR-22, .22 cal. pistol
• Raven Arms P25, .25 cal. pistol
• F.LLI Pietta Fabrica D'Armi, Big Bore Rough Rider, .357 cal. revolver
• Derya Arms (Derya Silah Sanayi) TM22-A-18, .22 cal. rifle
• Marlin Firearms Co. 20, .22 cal. rifle
• High Standard Sentinel, .22 cal. revolver
• North American Arms NAA22, .22 cal. revolver
• Smith & Wesson 18, .22 cal. revolver
• Derya Arms (Derya Silah Sanayi) VRPA40, 12-gauge shotgun
• Heritage Mfg. Inc. Rough Rider, .22 cal. revolver

Investigators also found various types of ammunition. 

Cowan had been convicted previously of aggravated kidnapping, burglary, and possession of dangerous drugs in Montana and so was required to register as a violent offender for life. Cowan, who became belligerent with agents as he was arrested, acknowledged he was “technically a felon,” but said he owned guns because his conviction was fraudulently obtained by county officials.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The ATF and Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.

MISSOULA – A Dillon man who unlawfully kept a cache of firearms in his home was sentenced today to 18 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and a fine of $10,000, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Cameron Duane Haworth, 50, pleaded guilty in April 2026 to unlawfully possessing a firearm.

U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Haworth was a convicted felon prohibited from possessing firearms. When law enforcement served a search warrant on Haworth’s home on Aug. 13, 2025, agents found six firearms with ammunition. In an interview following the search, Haworth admitted to law enforcement that he knew the guns were there.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Katy Stack prosecuted the case. The ATF conducted the investigation.

MISSOULA – Two Bozeman men who brought meth up from Las Vegas into Montana were sentenced to prison this week, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Billy Eugene Dodson, 54, who pleaded guilty in May 2026 to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, was sentenced today to 15 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

Jamie Demetrius Williams, 38, who pleaded guilty in May 2026 to conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute a controlled substance, was sentenced this week to seven years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Dodson and Williams trafficked methamphetamine from Las Vegas to Montana in the summer of 2025. Williams had come to the attention of law enforcement in early June when he sold meth to an informant. A couple weeks later, investigators learned Williams and Dodson were planning to travel to Las Vegas to purchase meth. 

Using a warrant, law enforcement tracked Williams’s vehicle from Las Vegas to Montana, and pulled the pair over in Silver Bow County. Investigators searched the car and found a handgun, a small amount of meth, and drug paraphernalia. Dodson admitted to owning the gun. Williams admitted they had travelled to Las Vegas to buy a pound of meth but “ran out of money.”

Law enforcement pulled over Dodson again on Aug. 10, 2025, as he returned from Las Vegas, finding just under a pound of meth in the glove compartment. Dodson admitted to making several trips to Las Vegas during the previous eight months, picking up pounds of meth each time to sell in Gallatin County. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Missouri River Drug Task Force and the FBI conducted the investigation.

GREAT FALLS – A Wolf Point man who was part of group that beat a man to death was sentenced today to 10 years and 10 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Calvin Florin Lester, 37, pleaded guilty in May 2026 to voluntary manslaughter.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Lester was part of group that beat a man to death in an abandoned house on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. 

The victim was found dead on Feb. 26, 2025, on the second floor of a house in Wolf Point, described by area residents as a local “flop house” where people occasionally went to drink and sleep. Investigators found that Lester and others after a night of drinking had gone in the house in the early morning hours of Feb. 26. They found the victim asleep on the second floor. With Lester were Abrianne Lillian Deserly, 26, and Dillon Demery Wetsit, 41.

An argument broke out and Lester, along with Deserly and Wetsit, began to hit the victim, beating him severely. At one point, the victim was placed in a chokehold while other members of the group hit him. A medical examination showed the victim died from “homicidal violence” with neck compression and blunt injuries to the head.

Deserly pleaded guilty in May to voluntary manslaughter; she will be sentenced on Sept. 14. Wetsit pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter in June; he will be sentenced on Oct. 15. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Fort Peck Tribes Criminal Investigation and FBI conducted the investigation.

GREAT FALLS – A Plentywood woman who mailed herself methamphetamine was sentenced today to seven years and four months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Marie Viola Nesbit, 60, pleaded guilty in April 2026 to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Nesbit mailed packages of methamphetamine to two houses in Plentywood, with the intention of selling the meth. Law enforcement first investigated when the U.S. Postal Service flagged two packages as suspicious. Using a warrant, agents searched the parcels and found a half pound of methamphetamine. 

Law enforcement monitored the packages while they were delivered to the two Plentywood addresses. The occupants of the two homes told investigators Nesbit had mailed them. In an interview with agents later that day, Nesbit said she mailed the packages from California because she didn’t want to get caught traveling back to Montana with them. She also admitted she planned to sell the meth.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas K. Godfrey prosecuted the case. The U.S. Postal Inspection Service, FBI, Montana DCI, Montana Highway Patrol, and the Sheridan County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.

MISSOULA – A Missoula man who made repeated drugs runs to Washington state was sentenced today to three years and four months imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Eric Joseph Wright, 46, pleaded guilty in April 2026 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances. 

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Wright was making regular trips to Washington state to pick up illicit drugs to bring back to Montana. A tip to law enforcement led officers to pull over Wright on Feb. 2, 2026, where they found three ounces of fentanyl under the vehicle’s passenger seat. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI’s Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force conducted the investigation.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.

BILLINGS – A Minnesota man who sexually abused two children on the Crow Indian Reservation was sentenced Wednesday to 40 years in prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

After a one-and-a-half-day trial in February 2026, a jury found Robert Dean Dust, 35, guilty of two counts of abusive sexual contact of a child and one count of aggravated sexual abuse.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

The government alleged in court documents and at trial that Dust began sexually abusing two girls in Lodge Grass starting around 2010. The two girls reported the abuse to law enforcement in May 2024. 

The girls both said Dust repeatedly sexually abused them in their home beginning when they were 4 and 5 years old and he was 20. Both victims described how Dust made them perform sexual acts on him and how he performed sexual acts on them. The girls said Dust’s abuse continued until around 2015.

Law enforcement interviewed Dust on Oct. 18, 2024, and he initially denied the abuse. Eventually he admitted to sexually abusing one of the girls. At trial, prosecutors proved that Dust abused both girls. The second girl testified that she knew Dust did inappropriate things with the first girl in his bedroom and that she did not want to “be next.” 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey Hendricks prosecuted the case. The FBI and BIA conducted the investigation.

GREAT FALLS – A Box Elder man who trafficked significant amounts of fentanyl into Montana was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Leonard Allen Parisian, 63, pleaded guilty in May 2026 to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Parisian was part of a group trafficking fentanyl on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation between 2023 and 2025. 

Law enforcement first learned of Parisian’s involvement with the group in spring 2024. An informant told officers that starting in 2020 he supplied fentanyl pills to Parisian’s son, “Little Al.” When Little Al was sent to prison in 2023, the informant began supplying pills to Parisian, known as “Big Al,” who purchased between 3,000 and 6,000 fentanyl pills at a time. Big Al regularly sent couriers out of state to pick up the fentanyl from the informant. In all, the informant estimated that Big Al purchased between 15,000 and 20,000 fentanyl pills for redistribution in Montana.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey K. Starnes prosecuted the case. The FBI and Montana Division of Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation.

BILLINGS – A Billings woman who trafficked meth as part of a larger drug ring was sentenced today to 10 years and six months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Jamie Lynn Strosky, 46, pleaded guilty in February 2026 to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Strosky was trafficking meth in Billings as part of the Ray Best drug trafficking ring. Fellow traffickers had identified Strosky in interviews, leading law enforcement to place surveillance on Strosky’s residence in January 2025. For a week they saw other traffickers come and go from the house. During the same time, an additional source identified Strosky as the person supplying their methamphetamine.

Using a warrant, law enforcement searched Strosky’s home on Jan. 22, 2025, and found methamphetamine, plastic baggies, and a scale.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office, represented by AUSA Thomas Godfrey, prosecuted the case. The DEA, EMHIDTA, Billings Police Department, and Montana DCI conducted the investigation.

MISSOULA – A Big Timber man who was trafficking meth in western Montana was sentenced today to 12 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Jason Karl Smart, 53, pleaded guilty in May 2026 to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Smart was trafficking large amounts of meth in Montana. Following a tip, law enforcement conducted a search of Smart’s Big Timber home in November 2025. He told agents he had a couple ounces of meth there; investigators found four pounds. He then admitted he had been trafficking over 25 pounds of meth in western Montana.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI’s Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force conducted the investigation.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities. 

MISSOULA – An Arizona man who made numerous sexual advances to a teenage girl was sentenced today to 10 years in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Manuel Flores, 72, pleaded guilty in February 2026 to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. 

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Flores tried to coerce a 15-year-old Montana girl into a sexual relationship while she was living in his house in Arizona and after she returned home. The girl was the daughter of a family friend; Flores had known her for several years. In June 2024, he arranged for the girl to travel from Montana to his home in Arizona to spend the summer. 

While in his home, Flores texted the girl regarding his sexual interest in her. The girl rejected Flores’ advances and returned to Montana at the end of the summer. However, Flores continued to text the girl, with many of these messages repeating and furthering the sexual advances he had sent over the summer. At times, he encouraged the girl to return to Arizona so that they could be together romantically. 

The girl told her mother about Flores’s behavior and the mom contacted law enforcement. Agents took over the girl’s account and posed as the girl in further communication with Flores, who continued to message. In a string of texts, Flores requested in graphic detail nude photos of the girl and told her he would fly to Montana and not return to Arizona until he had her with him. Flores flew to Montana on Aug. 18, 2025, and was arrested by law enforcement when he landed.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Lowney prosecuted the case. The FBI conducted the investigation.

GREAT FALLS – A pair of Box Elder men who tried to rob a house and ended up killing a man were sentenced to prison Wednesday, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Levi Terrance Olson, 30, who pleaded guilty in May 2026 to attempted robbery and involuntary manslaughter, was sentenced to nine years and three months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

Brandon Lee Weaselboy, 36, who pleaded guilty in May 2026 to attempted robbery and involuntary manslaughter, was sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

The government alleged in court documents that early in the morning on July 29, 2024, Olson and Weaselboy, along with Gordon Denny and the eventual victim, planned to steal drugs from a home on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation. When the group reached the house, they found an occupant they did not expect was home. Denny later told investigators it “messed up” the robbery.

At the house, Denny knocked on the door and was taken inside by the unexpected resident. After a brief moment, the other three men kicked in the front door, entered the house and a shootout ensued. In the chaos that followed, Olson and Weaselboy fled from the front of the house, while Denny fled through the back of the house. The victim was shot and was later found dead in the yard. Denny, Olson, and Weaselboy were eventually arrested and interviewed by law enforcement; they admitted to planning the botched robbery that ultimately led to the victim’s death. 

Denny was sentenced in June 2026 to two years and seven months in prison for his involvement in the conspiracy. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI and the Chippewa Cree Law Enforcement Services conducted the investigation.

BILLINGS – A Bozeman man who was unlawfully carrying two loaded handguns was sentenced today to four years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Jerron Micheal Mitchell-Fuller, 36, pleaded guilty in April 2026 to unlawfully possessing a firearm.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Mitchell-Fuller, who had been convicted of multiple felonies in the early 2010s, was found walking near I-90 in Bozeman carrying two loaded handguns. Earlier in the day, Mitchell-Fuller had taken the cell phone of a man in Bozeman, who reported the theft to police.

Law enforcement tracked down Mitchell-Fuller and interviewed him. He said he had absconded from federal supervised release in Billings and admitted to knowing that he wasn’t allowed to own or carry firearms. Mitchell-Fuller was previously convicted for theft in Montana and Idaho, for escaping custody while in Cascade County, and for possessing meth with the intent to distribute in Billings.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The ATF conducted the investigation.

MISSOULA – A Missoula man who distributed Child Sex Abuse Material (CSAM) through social media admitted to charges today, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Derek Allen Moderie, 41, pleaded guilty to two counts of distributing child pornography. Moderie faces up to 40 years in prison, a lifetime of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and approximately $50,000 in special assessments. 

U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided and will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for a later date. Moderie remained in custody pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that tips from Google and Instagram to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the spring of 2024 identified Moderie as a user possibly distributing Child Sex Abuse Material on their platforms.

Law enforcement sought a warrant and searched Moderie’s Gmail and Instagram accounts, where they found evidence that he had distributed illicit material between February and June 2024. Investigators learned prior tips in 2023 had also identified Moderie. They obtained a search warrant for Moderie’s Missoula home where they discovered emails in which he had traded CSAM with others online. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Lowney is prosecuting the case. The Missoula Police Department and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. 

BILLINGS – A man who stabbed and killed the driver of a pickup during a carjacking on Billings’ South Side admitted to charges today, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Brian Dale Contreraz, 31, pleaded guilty to a carjacking that resulted in death. Contreraz faces up to life in prison, three years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment. 

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided and will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for Jan. 7, 2027. Contreraz remained in custody pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that Contreraz, along with Violet Jean Littlelight, 23, and Shyanna Jo Whitewolf, 21, met up with Keith Breckenridge, 51, at South Park in Billings to rob him and steal his pickup truck. 

Littlelight was sentenced earlier this summer to 24 years in prison for her role in the attack; Whitewolf was sentenced to 20 years.

The incident happened on May 16, 2025. Littlelight was spending time with Whitewolf and Contreraz in Billings and had been texting that evening with Breckenridge asking if he would come pick her up. When Littlelight told Whitewolf and Contreraz that she’d asked Breckenridge for a ride, the three made plans to steal his truck and take it to a drug dealer they knew in Hardin to exchange for drugs or money. 

Littlelight told Breckenridge to meet her at South Park; Whitewolf and Contreraz came along under the pretense of needing a ride. When Breckinridge arrived and saw the two additional people, he grew suspicious and kept the doors locked, asking to know who Whitewolf and Contreraz were. Littlelight vouched for them and told Breckenridge they just wanted a ride. With Littlelight’s assurances, Breckenridge opened the doors and the three climbed into his pickup. 

Contreraz told Breckenridge to drive to the alleyway behind Adams Street on Billings’s South Side while Whitewolf chatted with Breckenridge to keep him calm. Once there, Breckenridge stopped the truck and Contreraz leaned over and stabbed him approximately 20 times in the face, neck and chest. Littlelight, Whitewolf, and Contreraz then pulled Breckenridge from the truck and drove away. Breckenridge died in the alley from the stab wounds.

The three drove the pickup to a house in Hardin where they changed their blood-stained clothes and placed them in the truck. From there they drove to a house on the Crow Reservation, where Littlelight and Contreraz decided they would clean the interior of the pickup and burn their bloody clothes along with other evidence from the truck. As they were cleaning the pickup, BIA officers pulled up. Littlelight and Contreraz ran off; Whitewolf stayed. By the end of the month, law enforcement had all three in custody. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Colin Rubich and Zeno Baucus are prosecuting the case. The Billings Police Department conducted the investigation. The FBI adopted the case to help expedite laboratory testing and for federal prosecution purposes. 

GREAT FALLS – A Babb man who sexually abused a child admitted to the charge Monday, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Bradley Dale Evans, 49, pleaded guilty to one count of abusive sexual contact. Evans faces up to life in prison, a $250,000 fine, up to a lifetime of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. 

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided and will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for Jan. 14, 2027. Evans remained in custody pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that between January 2020 and June 2024 Evans sexually abused a child under the age of 12 in a home near Babb. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelsey Hendricks is prosecuting the case. The FBI conducted the investigation. 

GREAT FALLS – Four defendants involved in a widespread methamphetamine trafficking operation were sentenced to prison this week, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

The four were linked to an organization run out of Great Falls by Dan Wakeford, Melissa Barone, and Mike Wakeford. In 2024, investigators arrested Barone and the Wakefords for trafficking, and seized over 100 pounds of meth and an illegal firearm in an Arizona storage unit.

In 2025, Dan Wakeford and Barone were sentenced to 20 years in prison, and Mike Wakeford was sentenced to 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to drug trafficking charges. 

Sentenced this week after pleading guilty to trafficking charges were: 

• Jonathan James Henderson, seven years and 10 months
• Levi Jerome Dabler, three years and eight months
• Patrick James Wright, two years and six months
• Stephanie Lee Hurd, three years and six months

Earlier this year, Travis Edward Dabler was sentenced to four years and 10 months, and Charles Nichols Williams was sentenced to three years and seven months.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

“This announcement underscores the ongoing threat posed by drug trafficking organizations that continue to move significant quantities of illicit drugs into Montana,” said DEA Rocky Mountain Field Division Assistant Special Agent in Charge Cesar Avila. “Through coordinated investigations and interagency partnerships, law enforcement has disrupted these networks and seized substantial amounts of methamphetamine intended for distribution in our communities. We remain committed to protecting Montanans by targeting the organizations responsible and reducing the flow of these dangerous drugs into our state.”

The government alleged in court documents that during the Wakeford investigation in 2024, Henderson was identified as an associate of the trafficking organization. Agents used an informant to purchase meth from him and then used a similar setup on Levi Dabler. Agents also sent an informant to buy meth from Hurd. Henderson and Dabler pleaded guilty in March 2026 to meth trafficking charges. Hurd pleaded guilty to a meth distribution charge in February 2026.

Around the same time law enforcement learned that Wright had purchased meth and had connected at least one person with a supplier. He was pulled over in March 2025 and officers found meth and drug paraphernalia in his car. He pleaded guilty in February 2026 to possession with intent to distribute. 

“The defendants brought methamphetamine into our tribal communities, putting lives at risk, fueling violence, and causing lasting harm,” said Special Agent in Charge Justin Gerken of the FBI Billings Field Office. “The sentencings are about accountability, but our work does not stop here. The FBI will continue working side-by-side with our tribal, federal, state and local partners to disrupt drug trafficking networks and protect the communities we serve.”

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeff Starnes and Zeno Baucus prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the Russell Country Drug Task Force.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Montana comprises agents and officers from the DEA, FBI, ATF, HSI, the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, the Great Falls Police Department, and the Cascade County Sheriff’s Office with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana.

BILLINGS – A Red Lodge man who had Child Sex Abuse Material (CSAM) on his phone was sentenced Wednesday to six years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Jeremy Dean Ruby, 50, pleaded guilty in April 2026 to possessing child pornography.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided. A hearing was scheduled for Nov. 5, 2026, to determine how much Ruby should be required to pay his victims in restitution. 

The government alleged in court documents that Ruby kept videos on his phone that contained Child Sex Abuse Material. From July 2024 to March 2025 law enforcement suspected Ruby of trafficking illegal drugs and obtained a warrant to search his home where they collected his cell phone. On the phone, investigators found hundreds of videos of CSAM involving children between the ages of 2 and 12.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus prosecuted the case. The FBI and the Red Lodge Police Department conducted the investigation.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

MISSOULA – A Missoula man who admitted distributing Child Sex Abuse Material (CSAM) online was sentenced today to 16 years and eight months in prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Johnathan Key Tucker, 39, pleaded guilty in March 2026 to distributing and receiving child pornography.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Tucker collected over 27,000 images of Child Sex Abuse Material and distributed at least three CSAM videos.

Tucker was on probation after having been convicted in 2014 of child sex abuse and surreptitiously watching someone without their knowledge. His parole officer, while meeting with Tucker on Sept. 11, 2023, became suspicious that Tucker was using an unauthorized phone. 

The officer went to Tucker’s home and searched his room where he found the phone. A forensic analysis found 27,000 images of children engaged in sexually explicit conduct and screenshots that showed he had been using an online app to find the material. Analysis also showed Tucker had shared at least three videos with another user through the app. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Lowney prosecuted the case. The Missoula Police Department conducted the investigation.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

GREAT FALLS – A Michigan man who trafficked fentanyl onto the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation was sentenced today to 18 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Deion Vincent Brown, 32, pleaded guilty in April 2026 to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Brown was part of group based out of Detroit that was bringing fentanyl into Montana and selling it around the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation. 

Following a tip, law enforcement pulled Brown over near the Reservation in October 2020 and found $15,756 in cash and 81 fentanyl pills. They learned Brown and others from his group had been staying at a home on the reservation. Investigators learned the group had used the house as a base of operations to distribute fentanyl onto the reservation. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI conducted the investigation.

BILLINGS – A Lame Deer man who ran over an acquaintance after a night of drinking was sentenced today to three years and six months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Kristopher Aiden Blackwolf, 36, pleaded guilty in April 2026 to involuntary manslaughter.

U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Blackwolf spent a night drinking with friends and, while still intoxicated, ran over and killed one of his companions.

Law enforcement first responded after hearing reports the next morning of a man lying unresponsive in a driveway. Blackwolf had called the victim’s nephew earlier that morning, saying he’d just come from the victim’s house where he saw him lying on the ground outside. Blackwolf told the nephew he didn’t know if the victim was alive. A medical examiner later ruled that the man had died from multiple blunt force traumas. 

Officers contacted Blackwolf later that day after his mother called authorities. They found Blackwolf sitting in the driver’s seat of his minivan, still intoxicated, and crying. After a medical evaluation, officers interviewed Blackwolf and learned that he had gone out the night before with the victim and another friend, all sharing a gallon of vodka they’d purchased in Colstrip. Blackwolf told officers he had returned home around 6:30 a.m. and, after eating, he fell asleep. At some point later in the morning, Blackwolf realized that he had reversed his van into the victim and run him over. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jacob Yerger prosecuted the case. The FBI and the BIA conducted the investigation.

MISSOULA – A Kalispell man who coerced an 11-year-old girl into sending him Child Sex Abuse Materials (CSAM) over Snapchat admitted to charges Wednesday, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Cameron Lee Powell, 24, pleaded guilty to one count of producing child pornography and one count of distributing child pornography. Powell faces up to 30 years in prison on the first count, a $250,000 fine, and over $70,000 in special assessments. On the second count he faces up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and over $50,000 in special assessments. 

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided and sentencing was set for Jan. 13, 2027. U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Powell remained in custody pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents Powell used Snapchat to solicit explicit CSAM photos from an 11-year-old girl in May 2022. Once she sent the photos, Powell then threatened to share the images publicly if she didn’t provide more. The girl told her parents, who then called police. 

Law enforcement searched the girl’s phone and found a history of her chat with Powell, who was pretending to be a sixth-grade girl. Using that information, law enforcement obtained a warrant and searched Powell’s Kalispell residence in August 2022, where they found electronics with visual depictions of CSAM.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Lowney is prosecuting the case. Homeland Security Investigations and the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office helped conduct the investigation. 

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

MISSOULA – A Washington man who trafficked fentanyl from Seattle to Missoula while carrying a loaded handgun was sentenced today to 19 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Tyreece Kingsley Dunbar, 42, pleaded guilty in January 2026 to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug crime.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.

The government alleged in court documents that several sources had informed law enforcement that Dunbar was moving fentanyl from Seattle to Missoula by bus in early 2025. Agents arrived at the Greyhound bus station there on March 15, 2025, and found Dunbar wearing a face covering and body armor. He was also carrying a loaded Ruger .40 caliber pistol with a round in the chamber and a half pound of fentanyl. 

“This defendant flooded our streets with deadly synthetic drugs, putting lives at risk for profit,” said Special Agent in Charge Justin Gerken of the FBI Billings Field Office. “The sentence holds him accountable and furthers our commitment to protecting our communities from the devastating effects of illegal drug trafficking.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI’s Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force conducted the investigation.

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities. 

GREAT FALLS – A Great Falls man who shot up his house near Lincoln Elementary School was found to be in unlawful possession of a firearm and was sentenced Monday to three years and six months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Timothy Paul Whittles, 59, pleaded guilty in March 2026 to one count of prohibited person in possession of a firearm. 

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Whittles, who had six prior felony convictions prohibiting him from owning a firearm, shot up his home with a handgun while high on meth.

Whittles called 911 around 8 a.m. on March 22, 2025, saying he heard intruders and gunshots in his home. While on the call, the dispatcher heard Whittles load a gun and fire it. When officers arrived at Whittles’s residence, they heard gunshots from inside. The front door was riddled with multiple bullet holes and its glass was shattered. 

The home sits near Lincoln Elementary School, and as officers investigated, they found that the bullets were shot from the inside toward the school. Officers directed Whittles to come out of his house and detained him. Surveillance footage from Lincoln Elementary showed Whittles getting home at 5 a.m., repeatedly entering and leaving his house, and walking around his car. The footage showed no other people at the house, and when officers searched inside the home, they found no sign of intruders or a break-in. On the basement staircase, officers found a .45 caliber handgun, an empty magazine, and dozens of spent shell casings throughout the house. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Great Falls Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation.

MISSOULA – A Chester man who tried to cross the border into Montana with Child Sex Abuse Material on his phone was sentenced today to six years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Brandon Wayne Roos, 34, pleaded guilty in March 2026 to receiving child pornography.

U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Roos was crossing from Canada into Montana at the Sweetgrass Port of Entry on Sept. 24, 2023, when Border Patrol agents discovered illicit sexual material involving children on Roos’s phone. 

Border Patrol had received a tip that Roos possibly had illicit material and so when he arrived at the Port of Entry agents searched his phone, where they found 151 images and 49 videos of Child Sex Abuse Material. Roos admitted to law enforcement that he had purchased and downloaded the material, which led to a search warrant for Roos’s home and computer. The search turned up 50 additional images and eight videos. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Lowney prosecuted the case. Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and CEOs, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

BILLINGS – A California man who was found with 57 pounds of methamphetamine in his car, among other illicit drugs, was sentenced Thursday to three years and two months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Heriberto Eddie Garcia, 46, pleaded guilty in March 2026 to one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Garcia worked for a drug trafficking organization transporting meth, cocaine, fentanyl, and cash to various western states, including Montana.

In late 2023, law enforcement learned from a source that Garcia was flying from Santa Ana, California, to Des Moines, Iowa, and then driving to Billings with a shipment of illicit drugs. At the direction of the DEA, Montana Highway Patrol troopers pulled Garcia over on Jan. 22, 2024, and with a warrant searched his car. They found 57 pounds of meth and a kilogram of cocaine. In an interview with law enforcement, Garcia said he had been in Des Moines and then South Dakota picking up money. He had travelled to Billings previously to pick up $70,000 for methamphetamine and fentanyl. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The DEA conducted the investigation.

BILLINGS – A Billings bail bondsman who posted bond for an inmate in return for sexual favors was sentenced Wednesday to one year in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Louis Christopher Ikeda, 46, pleaded guilty in April 2026 to one count of racketeering.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Ikeda was using his position as a bail bondsman to leverage sexual favors from at least one female inmate at the Yellowstone County Detention Facility in November and December 2024. 

The only way to communicate with county inmates is through the jail’s communication system, which includes text messaging. On. Nov. 18, 2024, Ikeda began texting an inmate who had contracted the services of his bail bond company. Ikeda’s messaging quickly turned sexual, especially when the inmate brought up the topic of her $10,000 bail. The two discussed how much of a bond the inmate would need to pay Ikeda to be released and they finally settled on $300. The conversation then turned sexual in anticipation of her release. 

Ikeda posted the inmate’s bail on Dec. 2, 2024, and the two left the county jail together, driving to a secluded area where they had sex. The inmate later described “feeling pressured” into having sex with Ikeda. He always responded to her comments about being released from jail by expressing his desire to have sex with her. She also told investigators she believed her sexual encounter with Ikeda was in exchange for the reduced bond amount.

Following the encounter with the first inmate, Ikeda contacted to two other inmates. He discussed bail with both and those conversations quickly turned sexual. Ultimately, he posted bond for both inmates for less than the required minimum premium amount. Both women later said they believed a sexual relationship with Ikeda was expected in exchange for his posting their bond. However, both were able to evade him after being released from the county jail. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Godfrey prosecuted the case. The Department of Homeland Security, the Office of the Montana State Auditor, the Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office, and the Montana Department of Corrections conducted the investigation.

BILLINGS – A Billings man who was found with a stolen gun was sentenced Wednesday to three years and 10 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Dalton Cole Hilliard, 28, pleaded guilty in April 2026 to one count of a prohibited person in possession of a firearm and one count of possessing a stolen firearm.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Hilliard was found with a stolen gun after he and a partner were spotted in a Heights neighborhood where police were investigating a string of thefts on Dec. 7, 2025. Hilliard was on probation with the Montana Department of Corrections for a previous felony conviction and was wearing a GPS monitor. When investigators tracked the location history of the monitor it showed that Hilliard had been at multiple locations in the Heights and on the same street as one of the thefts.

Billings police visited Hilliard, speaking to him outside his home. He acknowledged to officers that he and his associate had gone through the Heights and stolen numerous items, including a handgun which Hilliard said was in his truck. Officers searched the truck with a warrant and found the gun, along with numerous driver’s licenses, social security cards, vehicle keys, and other stolen items. Officers also learned the truck had been stolen. With a warrant, law enforcement searched Hilliard’s home, where they found a loaded 10 mm magazine for the stolen firearm.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Billings Police Department and ATF conducted the investigation.

BILLINGS – A Billings man who struck his girlfriend multiple times during an argument was sentenced Wednesday to 20 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Isaiah Shawn-Sam Glenn, 30, pleaded guilty in April 2026 to one count of assault resulting in substantial bodily injury to a dating or intimate partner.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

The government alleged in court documents that Glenn assaulted his girlfriend while the two were arguing in his vehicle in Lodge Grass on Sept. 21, 2025. Big Horn County Sheriff’s deputies arrived and spoke with the victim, who said Glenn struck her multiple times. She was treated by EMTs and taken to an area hospital, where she was diagnosed with multiple injuries, including bilateral bruising on her neck and scratches on her face.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI conducted the investigation.

MISSOULA – A multijurisdictional operation launched in 2023 successfully shut down a drug smuggling ring that operated from the Netherlands and Mexico, and brought drugs into Arizona, Texas, Washington, and Montana.

In all, the operation saw the arrests and successful prosecution of 13 people and involved efforts from Homeland Security Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Running the drug ring was Gerad Punch, 41, a U.S. citizen living in the Netherlands. Punch worked with Bernard Cowley Glass, Jr., 39, from Phoenix, who helped funnel fentanyl from Mexico into Montana, Washington, and Texas. 

Punch was sentenced in February 2026 to 20 years in prison; Glass was sentenced last month to 15 years in prison.

The final of the 13 defendants, Adam Jospeh Sarvis, 47, of Butte, was sentenced today to two years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, Smith said. Sarvis pleaded guilty in March 2026 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl.

U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.

Also sentenced to prison this year as part of the operation were:
 

• Carrie Jean Bishop, nine years
• Brooke Rose Louise Cadonia, nine years
• Freddie Lee Carter, 11 years and four months
• Spring Marie Davis, two years and eight months
• D’Andre Dontae Glass, four years
• Diana Michelle Karnes, eight years
• Dwayne Nyron Punch, 11 years and four months
• Sadie Cheryl Sawyer, four years
• Zane Nicholas Schafer, two years and eight months
• Shawn Michael Scholler, three years and 10 months
   

The government alleged in court documents that Punch began his push into Montana after he was introduced by one of his dealers in Washington to Brooke Cardonia. Cardonia was from Rocker and had dealer connections in western Montana through defendant Sadie Sawyer. 

Punch began building his drug trafficking operation after a stint in prison in 2018. He had met an inmate there who connected Punch with a Phoenix-based supplier.  That supplier obtained his drugs from Mexico, then provided the fentanyl to Punch and his brother Dwayne Nyron Punch, who also lived in Phoenix.

Investigators first picked up on Punch’s operation in October 2023 when they learned from a source that someone named “Jeremy Holbrook” was bringing large amounts of fentanyl pills into Butte. Through the course of the investigation, agents learned that Holbrook was Punch’s alias in Montana and that he had been shipping illegal drugs into the state since at least earlier that year.

The source in Butte told investigators that Punch’s shipments were often mailed to Montana and that she was expecting to receive a package in Helena. Investigators contacted the United States Postal Inspection Service, which began to investigate packages shipped from Punch to Montana. At the same time in Arizona, postal inspectors were looking into packages being mailed to Texas by Bernard Glass. Investigators quickly learned that Glass and Punch were partners in the same drug trafficking organization. 

As the operation grew in Montana, Punch and Glass travelled regularly to the state to meet with connections, potential buyers, and dealers. Law enforcement began to track Punch’s movements between Phoenix and Montana and to follow those with whom he met. Investigators also dug into postal and financial records, tracking the number of packages Punch and his lieutenants were sending, and identifying and following the payment systems they used to fund and run the operation.

“IRS Criminal Investigation plays a critical role in disrupting and stopping the flow of money that is the lifeblood of criminal activity, including narcotics trafficking,” said Todd Wacaser, Special Agent in Charge, IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Denver Field Office. “Working alongside our law enforcement partners, we hold drug traffickers accountable, protect the integrity of the U.S. financial system, and help keep our communities safe from the violence, addiction, and harm fueled by the illegal drug trade.”

By fall of 2024, investigators had identified more than a dozen co-conspirators, mapped out the organization’s financial operation, and tracked the packages of illicit drugs Punch and others had mailed into Montana. Punch, who had returned to the Netherlands, was charged and arrested in March 2025 when he returned to the United States.

“Operation Windmill is a strong example of how the Homeland Security Task Force model is designed to work: bringing federal, state, and local partners together across jurisdictions to identify, investigate, and dismantle criminal networks that threaten our communities,” said Resident Agent in Charge Joseph E. Montbriand with Homeland Security Investigations. “This case reflects the value of coordinated enforcement and intelligence-driven investigations, and we are proud of the work of our Special Agents, and all of our law enforcement partners who helped bring these defendants to justice.”

This operation is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. “DOJ and its law enforcement partners are committed to the destruction of these networks and poisons they seek to bring to Montana,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Smith. “I want to commend the exemplary work of the HSTF, including agents and officers from Homeland Security Investigations, IRS Criminal Investigation, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation. I also applaud the exceptional work of the prosecution team led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian Lowney and Zeno Baucus for the District of Montana. Our streets and our children are safer because of the HSTF’s efforts.”

BILLINGS – A trio of Yellowstone County residents who were dealing fentanyl were sentenced to prison this week, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Heather Ostler, 39, who pleaded guilty in March 2026 to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, was sentenced Thursday to five months prison, followed by 4 years of supervised release.

Louis Lester Parker, 36, who pleaded guilty in April 2026 to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, was sentenced Thursday to two years and eight months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release.

Steven Craig Lance, 41, who pleaded guilty in April 2026 to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, was sentenced Friday to a year and three months in prison, followed by four years of supervised release.

U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided.

The government alleged in court documents that an investigation into fentanyl distribution in Montana found that Ostler, Parker, and Lance were dealing in the Billings area. Ostler and Parker were stopped by law enforcement on June 3, 2025, where investigators found 178 fentanyl pills in Ostler’s purse. This led to a search warrant for the pair’s residence where investigators found 540 more fentanyl pills in their bedroom. 

Lance sold 88 fentanyl pills to a confidential informant on May 15, 2025. Law enforcement watched Lance meet with Ostler prior to making the sale to the informant. After the buy, the informant told investigators that Lance had purchased the pills from Ostler and Parker.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Godfrey prosecuted the case. The Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force conducted the investigation.

BILLINGS – A Hardin man who had downloaded Child Sexual Abuse Material was sentenced today to four years and nine months in prison, followed by eight years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.  He was also ordered to pay a total of $10,100 in special assessments. 

Randall Allen Flatlip, 36, pleaded guilty in April 2026 to one count of possessing child pornography.

U.S. District Judge William M. Mercer presided.

The government alleged in court documents that a cyber tip in July 2022 alerted authorities that Flatlip, who was living in Hardin, had downloaded a video depicting a child under 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Investigators received a search warrant for Flatlip’s email where they learned multiple images and videos had been deleted prior to the search. Investigators interviewed a former roommate who said she once saw Flatlip watching Child Sexual Abuse Material on a mobile tablet.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus prosecuted the case. The FBI conducted the investigation.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit Justice.gov/PSC.

BILLINGS – The U.S. Attorney’s Office recently recovered $848,858 for victims of a fraud scheme that took place at a Bozeman dairy from 2007-2008, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said today.

In 2011, following an investigation by the IRS and FBI, Jeffrey Nicholas McCown, a manager with a Bozeman-based dairy cooperative, was convicted of wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud along with three other employees, Michael Ernest Monforton, the dairy’s CEO; Jeanette Sabrina McCown, its bookkeeper; and Scott Michael McCown, the shop manager. Jeffrey McCown was sentenced to three years in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. Jeffery McCown and Monforton were ordered by the court to pay $1.16 million in restitution. 

The recovery of the nearly $850,000 happened after the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Financial Litigation Unit learned that Jeffery McCown was entitled to receive a substantial payout from the sale of a business and real property. The Unit garnished those funds and recovered $848,858.72 to pay McCown’s remaining restitution obligation in full. 

“Today's recovery marks a significant step toward restoring losses suffered by the victims of this fraud. This case demonstrates that even many years after a financial crime is committed, the pursuit of justice and restitution continues,” said Todd Wacaser, Acting Special Agent in Charge, IRS-CI Denver Field Office. “Those who misuse organizational funds should know that IRS Criminal Investigation remains committed to following the money, identifying assets, and working with our law enforcement partners to hold offenders accountable and recover funds whenever possible.”

The fraud began in October 2007. At the time, Country Classic Dairy was a producer-owned co-op based in Bozeman and Jeffrey McCown, along with the other three, began using co-op funds for personal purchases and reimbursements (Country Classic merged with Seattle-based Darigold in 2010). McCown fraudulently used his co-op credit card to purchase and maintain personal assets like vehicles, trailers, boats, firearms, and an RV. He also took cash advances from co-op cards and accounts and recorded his purchases and transactions as business expenses to conceal the fraud. 

“Fraud does more than cause financial loss, it erodes trust,” said Special Agent in Charge Justin Gerken of the FBI Billings Field Office. “When individuals exploit positions of trust for personal gain, they harm not only the organization, but also the employees, customers, and communities that depend on it. The FBI remains committed to investigating these crimes and holding those responsible accountable.”

BILLINGS – A Laurel man who was found with an illicit firearm while under felony indictment admitted to charges today, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Joel Antonio Crusselle II, 27, pleaded guilty to one count of having a firearm while under indictment. Crusselle faces up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. 

U.S. District Judge Kathleen S. Lane presided and will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for Dec. 9, 2026. Crusselle remained in custody pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that Crusselle accidently shot himself in the leg while under felony indictment for assault with a weapon and strangulation with Yellowstone County District Court. At Crusselle’s court appearance on Aug. 5, 2025, he was released on conditions that prohibited him from possessing a firearm. 

Despite the prohibition, on Feb. 16, 2026, Crusselle was target shooting with a .22 caliber revolver in Laurel. Law enforcement received a report of a person being shot; Crusselle, in trying to place the revolver back into its holster, shot himself in the calf. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus is prosecuting the case. The ATF and Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. 

MISSOULA – A Missoula man who trafficked significant amounts of methamphetamine and cocaine admitted to charges today, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Wynton Ryan Magee, 35, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Magee faces a mandatory minimum 10 years and up to life in prison for the drug offense and a consecutive mandatory minimum of five years up to life in prison for the firearm. 

U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided and will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for Oct. 30, 2026. Magee was detained pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that Magee was traveling to Washington to buy fentanyl that he planned to sell in the Missoula area, and that he was doing it while armed.

Law enforcement had learned from multiple sources that Magee was dealing methamphetamine and fentanyl, and that at one point he traded drugs for a handgun. In January 2026, agents learned Magee had rented a motel room for Patrick Allen, who was also dealing fentanyl in the Missoula area. Allen pleaded guilty to drugs and firearm charges earlier this year and was sentenced last week to 10 years in prison. 

In February 2026, law enforcement obtained a search warrant for Magee’s hotel room and found scales, plastic baggies, and other items associated with drug distribution. Agents also found a handgun. Magee admitted to traveling to Washington to buy fentanyl powder that he distributed in the Missoula area. 

Two months later, Magee was returning to Montana from a drug run to Washington when law enforcement on I-90 attempted to pull him over. Rather than stop, Magee led officers on a high-speed chase through a Missoula neighborhood that ended when he crashed his car. In the vehicle, law enforcement found illicit drugs, needles, and other items indicative of drug trafficking. One of the occupants in the car confirmed Magee had purchased 2 ounces of fentanyl in Washington.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The FBI conducted the investigation. 

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities. 

BILLINGS – An inmate who was running a drug ring from inside a California state prison admitted to charges today, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Dion Andre Davis II, 39, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. Davis faces 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine, at least five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. 

U.S. District Judge Kathleen S. Lane presided and will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for Dec. 2, 2026. Davis remained incarcerated pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that Davis was head of a large-scale, multistate narcotics trafficking organization, which he operated from his prison cell using contraband mobile phones.

Law enforcement learned in June 2023 that Christina Hill and Nathan Wilnau were selling illicit drugs in Billings. Hill was a local leader in the operation and was sending money to a source in California, who then sent packages of fentanyl and methamphetamine to Billings and to Cody, Wyoming.

Hill was sentenced last month to 15 years in prison on drug possession and money laundering charges. Wilnau was sentenced in June to 11 years in prison on meth possession charges.

During the investigation, law enforcement discovered images on Hill’s phone of FedEx receipts for packages mailed from California and pictures of large sums of cash corresponding to the dates on the FedEx receipts. Also found on Hill’s phone were images of text conversations with Davis where she ordered $72,500 worth of fentanyl and $96,000 worth of methamphetamine. 

A search warrant on Davis’s phones found messages to a handful of associates, including Hill, directing the distribution of drugs, which would be shipped or delivered to Wyoming and Montana. Davis demanded payments, discussed shipments, instructed his associates on how to evade law enforcement, and complained about drug debts. Davis’s contraband phones were confiscated in April 2024 and he was subsequently charged. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The DEA and Montana Division of Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation. 

Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is the Department of Justice’s nationwide initiative that brings federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, prosecutors, and other public safety partners together to coordinate efforts to combat violent crime and make communities safe. Coordinated by U.S. Attorneys’ offices in each of the 94 federal districts, PSN is tailored to particular communities to strategically address specific violent crime and public safety challenges. As a key component of Operation Take Back America, PSN serves a central role in the Department’s commitment to make our country safe. PSN emphasizes three core principles: rapid federal response to violent crime and criminal offenders; strong, strategic partnerships among law enforcement at all levels; and accountability and deterrence through the prosecution of the most serious, readily provable offenses and other strategies. These efforts complement and strengthen President Trump’s Homeland Security Task Forces, ensuring a comprehensive federal response to the most pressing public safety issues facing communities.