District of Montana

BILLINGS – An Arizona man who arranged for methamphetamine to be shipped to Billings was sentenced today to 12 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Patrick Louis Gastelo, 47, pleaded guilty in January 2026 to one count of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. 

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

The government alleged in court documents that Gastelo arranged to receive a shipment of two pounds of methamphetamine at his girlfriend’s Billings home with the intent to sell it.

A USPS postal inspector flagged a suspicious package traveling from Calexico, California, to Billings on Nov. 7, 2022. Searching the parcel, he discovered two pounds of meth. The inspector repackaged the meth and sent the parcel onto its destination where law enforcement awaited its delivery. 

At the house, the package was received by Lindsay Whitewolf. Agents searched the home and Whitewolf explained the package had been sent by Sergio Tagaban, who Gastelo had known in prison. Gastelo’s girlfriend, Angelena LaFave, confirmed that the parcel was intended for Gastelo, and that he and Tagaban were “brothers” in prison. 

The women explained that the plan had been for Gastelo to work with Tagaban to arrange the shipment of the meth, which Whitewolf and LaFave would then help sell around Billings. Tagaban and LaFave were convicted of possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine for their involvement. Whitewolf has pled guilty to possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine for her involvement.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul Vestal and Colin Rubich prosecuted the case. The United States Postal Inspection Service and the Billings Police Department conducted the investigation.

BILLINGS – Two men from Billings who trafficked methamphetamine around town have admitted to charges, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Rafael Gonzales Montanez, 61, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine earlier this month. Montanez faces 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine, and at least five years of supervised release. 

Aaron Wade Montoya, 60, pleaded guilty Friday to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Montoya faces 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine, at least five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment for the first count. He faces five years to life in prison, consecutive to any other sentence, a $250,000 fine, and five years of supervised release for the second count.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided. U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for a later date. Montanez and Montoya remained detained pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that Montanez and Montoya were dealing methamphetamine at various bars and casinos around Billings.

An agent with the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation received a tip in August 2024 that Montanez was selling methamphetamine in Billings and was often at the Reno Club. The agent, working undercover, was put in touch with Montanez, who called the agent offering to sell him an ounce of methamphetamine. The two men eventually met and over the next month the agent continued to buy increasing amounts of methamphetamine from Montanez.

After a buy in September 2024, law enforcement followed Montanez to a trailer in the Cherry Creek mobile home park in the Billings Heights, which they learned belonged to Montoya, who was on probation from an earlier drug conviction. At his probation-mandated urine test in November 2024, Montoya tested positive for methamphetamine and law enforcement received a warrant to search his home at Cherry Creek. Officers found a bag of bulk methamphetamine, three firearms, ammunition, and cash. Agents arrested him and in a subsequent interview Montoya admitted to dealing methamphetamine and that he got two of his firearms in a drug trade.

Meanwhile, Montanez reached out to the undercover DCI agent and wanted to introduce him to his new supplier because his old one had been arrested. On May 29, 2025, ATF agents arrested Montanez, who admitted he had sold methamphetamine that had been supplied to him by Montoya.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Godfrey is prosecuting the case. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation.

MISSOULA – A Bozeman man who threatened elected officials online and at the state capitol was sentenced today to 14 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Daniel Alan Verbanec, 47, pleaded guilty in February 2026 to one count of threatening to murder or assault a United States official. 

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

The government alleged in court documents that Verbanec made aggressive, threatening online statements at elected representatives in Washington, D.C., and in Montana.

A special agent with the United States Capitol Police contacted the FBI in January 2025 to report that a man in Bozeman had made a number of violent threats on the social media platform X directed at Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio. 

The FBI contacted Verbanec, who told agents that the government was trying to kidnap and kill his family, including him. He also told agents that the FBI had contacted him before when he threatened then U.S. Sen. Jon Tester and that the Secret Service had contacted him after Verbanec had threatened Pres. Joe Biden.

Months later, in October 2025, Verbanec traveled to Helena, arriving at the state capitol building and demanding to speak to Gov. Greg Gianforte. Verbanec told Gianforte’s staff that the governor was trying to kill him and his family and that the governor was responsible for the murder of Charlie Kirk. He also told staff that he had made threats toward the governor before. Verbanec then told staff that he would not leave the building unless he spoke either to the governor, was arrested, or was forced out by police. 

At that point, Verbanec learned the governor was in Bozeman attending a summit and announced that he planned to travel to Bozeman to confront him. Officers then escorted Verbanec from the building and contacted the governor’s security detail.

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

BILLINGS – A Billings man who was prohibited from possessing a firearm following a felony strangulation conviction was sentenced today to 16 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Patrick Hunter Shaver, 34, pleaded guilty in January 2026 to one count of prohibited person in possession of a firearm. 

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

The government alleged in court documents that Shaver, a convicted felon prohibited from owning a firearm, was found at work with a handgun in his vehicle.

Shaver was convicted in March 2025 in Yellowstone County of felony strangulation of a partner or family member. As part of his conviction, he’s prohibited from possessing a firearm. On July 31, 2025, Billings police received a tip that a man named Pat Shaver had a gun. Police followed up the next day, contacting Shaver at work and asking him about the firearm. He acknowledged to the officers that he had a .32 caliber Beretta Tomcat in his vehicle along with seven rounds of ammunition. 

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

GREAT FALLS – A Helena man who was selling methamphetamine and using a handgun for protection was sentenced today to 15 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Kyle Andrew Bailey, 43, pleaded guilty in January 2026 to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. 

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

The government alleged in court documents that Bailey was selling methamphetamine and fentanyl while carrying a small handgun for personal protection.

Bailey was riding in a car that was pulled over by law enforcement on July 11, 2025, and refused to give his name. Deputies ultimately identified him and learned he had three warrants for his arrest; Bailey ran from the car and was quickly caught. Upon his arrest, deputies discovered Bailey was carrying a .22 caliber handgun, two bags containing 50 fentanyl pills, and a bag of meth. Bailey told deputies he had more meth in the car. Deputies found three bags of meth, 17 zip lock bags, a digital scale, four syringes, and five cell phones. In all, Bailey had 98 grams of meth and 6.7 grams of fentanyl.

Bailey told law enforcement he had stolen a pound of meth in Billings and was selling it to survive while living out of his car. He bought the handgun with a couple grams of meth and said he felt safer with it because “no one’s going to mess with you if you have a gun,” describing it as his security blanket.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Missouri River Drug Task Force including the Lewis & Clark County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Helena Police Department, and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, and the DEA conducted the investigation.

GREAT FALLS – A Great Falls man who had 30 pounds of meth hidden in his home and was pulled over with another 25 pounds of meth in his car was sentenced today to 12 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Cody Allen Davidson, 39, pleaded guilty in April 2026 to one count of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. 

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

The government alleged in court documents that Davidson and his partner, Diane Walters, had been trafficking methamphetamine and that searches of Davidson’s home and car turned up bundles of meth, cash, and firearms.

The case began in May 2025 when a source notified the DEA that Davidson had recently received a resupply of methamphetamine that was stored at his Great Falls residence. Using that information, law enforcement obtained a warrant and searched Davidson’s home. He was there when officers arrived and agreed to show them “everything,” opening up a gun safe that held roughly 30 pounds of meth, four guns and $21,479 in cash. Davidson told authorities the cash was from selling about 7 pounds of meth and that he’d been trafficking it for the last six to eight months.

Two months later, on July 10, 2025, Davidson’s car was spotted traveling north of Las Vegas. Law enforcement suspected he was on a drug resupply run and put out an alert for the vehicle. The next day, law enforcement in Idaho Falls, Idaho, spotted the car and pulled it over – Walters was driving and Davidson was the passenger. Hidden in the car, officers found roughly 25 pounds of meth. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Starnes prosecuted the case. The DEA and Great Falls Police Department conducted the investigation.

MISSOULA – An Arizona man who was part of a drug trafficking organizing that brought fentanyl into Montana was sentenced today to four years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

D’Andre Dontae Glass, 36, pleaded guilty in February 2026 to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. 

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

The government alleged in court documents that Glass was part of a drug trafficking organization and oversaw the delivery of packages of fentanyl to Montana and two other western states.

Between February 2023 and March 2025 Gerad Nigel Punch led a drug trafficking organization that supplied fentanyl from Phoenix to local dealers in Texas, Washington, and Montana. In 2023 and 2024, Glass worked for the organization and mailed packages with fentanyl to the three states. He also visited Montana and the other two states to oversee the package deliveries, and to distribute the fentanyl to local dealers. 

While working for the organization, Glass possessed more than 400 grams of fentanyl that he intended to distribute. During the investigation of the organization, law enforcement seized over 10 kilograms of fentanyl from its members.

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 multiple law enforcement agencies with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Montana.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Lowney prosecuted the case. The Southwest Montana Drug Task Force and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation conducted the investigation.

MISSOULA – A Lakeside man who stole over $180,000 worth of construction equipment from a Kalispell business and trucked it to Idaho was sentenced today to three years and five months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Eric Brandon Wright, 43, pleaded guilty in January 2026 to one count of interstate transportation of stolen property. 

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

The government alleged in court documents that Wright stole $181,890 worth of construction equipment from RDO Rental Equipment in Kalispell.

Over the night of Aug. 23 and into the early morning of Aug. 24, 2023, Wright found his way into RDO and stole various pieces of digging and mulching equipment, along with a Towmaster trailer. Wright then used the trailer, hooking it up to an employee’s vehicle, to haul the equipment from the business. The employee’s vehicle was found a few days later, but a motorized wheelchair that had been kept in it was missing. 

Law enforcement received a tip on Jan. 19, 2024, that Wright was selling construction equipment on Facebook, which they tracked to a storage facility in Lewiston, Idaho. Detectives spoke with the facility’s owner, who confirmed Wright had been renting storage space there. On Jan. 30, 2024, officers arrested Wright on an unrelated outstanding warrant and questioned him about the RDO theft. Wright denied stealing the equipment, saying he bought it from someone in Missoula.

Using cell phone data and surveillance video, investigators linked Wright’s truck to RDO the night of the theft. Responding to a report of a separate theft, officers were called to the residence of Wright’s uncle in Dalton Gardens, Idaho, where they discovered the missing Towmaster trailer. They also noticed the uncle using an electric wheelchair similar to the one stolen from the employee’s vehicle.

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

BILLINGS – A Billings man who was caught with 10 pounds of methamphetamine while travelling from Wyoming was sentenced Wednesday to 135 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Nathan Wilnau, 51, pleaded guilty in February 2026 to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. 

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

The government alleged in court documents that Wilnau, working with a partner, was helping bring methamphetamine from California via Wyoming into Billings. 

In June 2023, law enforcement learned Wilnau and Christina Lavon Hill were selling illegal drugs in Billings. Agents learned Hill was sending money to a source in San Francisco, who then sent packages of meth to Cody, Wyoming, which Wilnau would go and retrieve. 

On his last trip, Wilnau drove to Cody, picked up the package, and was heading back to Billings when he was pulled over. Searching the vehicle, agents found over 10 pounds of meth. They also learned that the source in Cody had previously received three to four packages of meth for Hill and Wilnau.

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

GREAT FALLS – A Poplar man who was indicted on two unrelated charges was sentenced today to 18 months followed by five years of supervised release for the first charge, and to 26 months followed by three years of supervised release for the second, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Eithan Toby McKay, 22, pleaded guilty in January 2026 to one count of sexual abuse of a minor and, in a separate indictment, to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon. 

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

The government alleged in court documents that when McKay was 19, he engaged in a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old girl and got her pregnant. The following year, McKay attacked his brother with a machete, leaving him with deep lacerations.  

In September 2024, law enforcement received information about a young teenage girl who was pregnant. In an interview with investigators, the girl identified McKay as the father and said the two met on social media and started hanging out at the girl’s house in Poplar. They engaged in a sexual relationship that resulted in the girl getting pregnant when she was 13 and McKay was 19.

In a separate incident, McKay showed up to a Brockton residence with a machete and attacked his brother. A 911 call shortly after 2 a.m. on March 4, 2025, reported the incident, with the caller telling the dispatcher, “Someone just hit my son over the head with a machete and he’s bleeding.” When asked by the operator is the attacker was still in the house, the caller said, “He just walked in the living room. He’s drunk. It’s Eithan McKay.”

The victim had serious injuries to his head, arm, and shoulder and was bleeding heavily. The man told responders that his brother Eithan had slashed him with the machete because he had told Eithan he wanted him to leave.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI and Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law and Justice conducted the investigation.

MISSOULA – A Missoula man who had collected and stored over 23,000 images and 600 videos of child sex abuse materials (CSAM) admitted to charges Wednesday, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Jamie T. Felde, 47, pleaded guilty to one count of receiving child pornography. Felde faces five to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, five years to a lifetime of supervised release, a $35,000 special assessment, an additional $5,000 special assessment, and another $100 special assessment. 

U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for Oct. 8, 2026. Felde remained in custody pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that Felde had sought out and collected CSAM in the form of images and videos of young children, storing them on various electronics in his Missoula apartment.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received several tips between 2021 and 2023 regarding an individual who was uploading CSAM to Microsoft’s Bing Image. The center forwarded those tips onto law enforcement officers, who obtained subpoenas and search warrants and learned Felde was the individual uploading the material.

On May 23, 2024, officers served a search warrant at Felde’s Missoula apartment and found “a tranche of electronics,” including several phones, USB drives, hard drives, and computer towers. A forensic analysis of the devices showed Felde had collected 23,716 images and 643 videos of CSAM.

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.

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

GREAT FALLS – A Harlem man who rolled his car and killed a passenger while drunkenly fleeing from police was sentenced today to 34 months and 15 days in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Dezmond Joseph Dillon, 20, pleaded guilty in December 2025 to one count of involuntary manslaughter. 

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

The government alleged in court documents that while driving drunk, Dillon led police on a chase that ended when he rolled his car, killing one of his passengers. 

The incident began when Fort Belknap Tribal Police were notified on July 11, 2024, that a car was seen driving recklessly at over 100 mph in Harlem. Dillon was later identified as the driver. When officers responded to the call, Dillon took off, refusing to yield as police pursued him across town. Dillon pulled down a dirt road, struck a pole and then turned the car around. He returned back down the dirt road, lost control of the car, and rolled down an embankment. 

When law enforcement arrived, they found Dillon and two of his passengers severely injured from the wreck. A third passenger was pronounced dead at the scene. One of the passengers was later interviewed about the wreck and she told investigators that Dillon was already drunk when he picked her up. When the police tried to pull the vehicle over, she remembered begging Dillon to stop and let her out. After the wreck, when the car had come to a stop, she was lying underneath the passenger who had been killed. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI and Fort Belknap Tribal Police conducted the investigation.

GREAT FALLS – A Great Falls man and woman who stole checks from their next-door neighbor and cashed them to themselves were sentenced to prison time today, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Andrew Dwayne Johnson, 49, was sentenced to two years and three months in prison for one count of wire fraud, and to two years for one count of aggravated identity theft with three years of supervised release. 

Carrie Jeanine Johnson, 46, was sentenced to a year and three months in prison for one count of wire fraud, and to two years for one count of aggravated identity theft with three years of supervised release. 

The two were also ordered to pay $17,636.40 in restitution. Their two prison sentences will run consecutively. The two pleaded guilty in January 2026 to the charges. 

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

The government alleged in court documents that siblings Andrew Johnson and Carrie Johnson stole checks from their neighbor, forged the neighbor’s signature, and cashed the checks for themselves. 

Law enforcement in Great Falls had launched an investigation into reports of false checks being used from a Wells Fargo account and were eventually able to link them to Carrie Johnson. When law enforcement asked the account owner if she knew Carrie Johnson, the woman responded that she did – Johnson was her next-door neighbor. 

On Aug. 31, 2023, the neighbor had been taken by ambulance from her house after a medical emergency and had not returned. She told investigators she had left her checkbook on the couch. When officers went to her residence, the checkbook was gone and the house was unlocked. Carrie Johnson later admitted to taking and using the neighbor’s checks without her permission. Similarly, Andrew Johnson cashed one of the neighbor’s checks to himself for $1,400. A search warrant served on Andrew Johnson’s room turned up evidence of the stolen checks.

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

BILLINGS – A Billings man who fired his handgun while pointing it at the sky after trying to rob a convenience store was sentenced Wednesday to 10 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Thyssen River Grable, 21, pleaded guilty in February 2026 to one count of discharging a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. 

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

The government alleged in court documents that Grable attempted to rob several cases of BuzzBallz, a brand of alcohol, from a Billings convenience store.  Grable then fired his handgun in an effort to dissuade his pursuers from chasing him. 

Thyssen Grable and a companion walked into a Circle K convenience store on Grand Avenue in Billings on Jan. 20, 2025. After spending time walking around the aisles, they grabbed four cases of BuzzBallz and ran out the door. The store clerk tried to stop the pair, chasing them outside and telling them he was going to call the police. Grable retorted, “Do you wanna get shot?” and the clerk ducked back into the store.

Grable and his companion jumped into a van with two others and told the driver to go. At that moment a security guard pulled his car in front of the van, blocking its exit from the parking lot. The security guard got out and told the driver to shut off the van. Grable urged the driver to pull away, but the driver shut off the engine. Grable and his companion jumped out and ran off down the road. As he ran, Grable fired several shots from a Beretta 9mm handgun into the air to stop the security guard from chasing him.

Billings police officers arrived shortly after and searched the area, finding a number of spent 9mm shell casings. A call from a Montana State University Billings police officer alerted the BPD officers that he’d found Grable and his companion on Alderson Avenue and the two were arrested. Sometime later a neighbor called BPD to say they’d found a Beretta handgun in their yard.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Rubich prosecuted the case. The Billings Police Department conducted the investigation.

MISSOULA – A Mexican national living in Bozeman who had illegally reentered the country was sentenced today to eight months incarceration, followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Antonio Alfaro-Ramirez, 41, pleaded guilty in February 2026 to one count of illegal reentry to the United States after removal. 

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

The government alleged in court documents that Ramirez, after having been removed from the country three times previously, had again illegally reentered the U.S.

During an execution of a search warrant by the Missouri River Drug Task Force at a Bozeman apartment on Dec. 23, 2025, law enforcement officers found Ramirez. Accompanying the taskforce was a Border Patrol agent, who interviewed Ramirez as part of an immigration inspection. Ramirez confirmed his identity and acknowledged he had returned to the U.S. without proper documentation.

Ramirez was twice apprehended in Laredo, Texas, for illegally crossing into the U.S., first in 2006 and again in 2009. He was then apprehended in Eagle Pass, Texas, and deported again to Mexico in March 2020. December marked his fourth arrest for illegally entering the U.S.

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

GREAT FALLS – A Box Elder man who was involved in a bar shooting and later found with notable amounts of illegal drugs in his home was sentenced today to 13 months, followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Harold Blake Whitford, Sr., 57, pleaded guilty in February 2026 to one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. 

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

The government alleged in court documents that Whitford was keeping notable quantities of fentanyl, methamphetamine, and cocaine in his home.

In the early hours of March 28, 2024, law enforcement was called to D and L Bar on the Rocky Boy’s Indian Reservation after patrons reported a shooting. Surveillance video showed the two gunmen arrive at the bar and then leave in a pickup truck, which law enforcement later found parked in front of Whitford’s house.

After confirming the pickup was the same used in the shooting, officers obtained a warrant and searched Whitford’s residence where they found 489 fentanyl pills in a plastic baggie; 27 small baggies, each with 10 fentanyl pills; a baggie with powder; and two baggies with meth. Officers also found a scale, a rifle, and a piece of paper listing quantities and prices. A week later, Whitford was arrested on an outstanding warrant in front of his house. In his shirt pocket officers found more fentanyl pills. In total, Whitford had 40.1 grams of meth, 79.9 grams of fentanyl, and 32.6 grams of cocaine.

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

GREAT FALLS – A Bainville woman who used a system of recording fake USPS money orders that she then cashed out to herself was sentenced today to time-served, followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said. She was also ordered to repay USPS the amount of money she misappropriated.

Danielle Marie Harms, 38, pleaded guilty in February 2026 to one count of misappropriation of postal funds. 

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

The government alleged in court documents that Harms stole more than $8,000 from the U.S. Postal Service as an employee of the Bainville Post Office by issuing fake money orders and then cashing them.

Harms began working for the post office in Bainville in February 2023. Bainville is one of the country’s few remaining “manual” post offices, meaning money orders issued by the office are written down by hand on paper for USPS transaction records. If the money order is purchased by credit or debit card a record of the purchase is also submitted electronically to the bank after it’s been written down on paper. 

After learning the system, Harms began issuing money orders to herself and her boyfriend, recording them by hand as card transactions but never submitting the information to the bank. This allowed her to cash the money order while keeping the books balanced within the post office. USPS employs a service that regularly checks the postal service’s transactions with the bank to ensure the figures reconcile. Running one of these checks in August 2024, the service found a discrepancy of $8,235.91.

This launched an investigation and in January 2025 a special agent with the U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General interviewed Harms, who eventually admitted to faking and cashing 34 money orders. She also admitted to taking cash from the post office till.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation.

BILLINGS – A Billings man who was traveling through Montana with five pounds of meth admitted to charges today, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Jason Daniel Schauer, 45, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Schauer faces 10 years in prison, a $10 million fine, five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. 

U.S. District Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided and will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing will be set at a later time. Schauer remained on pretrial release pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that Schauer was moving methamphetamine from Arizona to Montana.

Schauer and a companion were pulled over outside Livingston on July 3, 2025, after a Montana Highway Patrol trooper watched the pair “tear through a (gas station) parking lot at a high rate of speed.” Troopers grew suspicious that Schauer might be trafficking drugs after seeing drug paraphernalia in the car, which prompted them to seek a search warrant. 

Searching the vehicle, troopers found five cellophane-wrapped bundles under the rear set of the car, weighing roughly five pounds total. DEA testing later revealed it was 2,202 grams of meth. When interviewed by the Montana Department of Criminal Investigation Schauer told agents he had paid $4,500 for the meth and that he purchased it in Phoenix from “cartel associated” individuals. 

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

BILLINGS – A Billings woman who trafficked drugs from Denver to Billings was sentenced today to 117 months in prison, followed by 4 years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Beth Marie Jones, 63, pleaded guilty in December 2025 to one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense.

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

The government alleged in court documents that Jones was travelling regularly to Denver to pick up fentanyl and methamphetamine, which she then sold in the Billings area.

The case against Jones began when law enforcement in Billings learned from a source in April 2024 that she was selling meth and fentanyl in the area. The source indicated Jones had travelled several times to Denver to pick up the drugs. 

Law enforcement obtained a warrant to monitor Jones’s cell phone locations and learned she was in the Denver area. On May 3, 2024, as Jones travelled back to Montana, law enforcement pulled her over in Big Horn County and searched her car. Officers found 28.2 grams of meth, 205.9 grams of fentanyl, and 11.35 grams of fentanyl powder. On the front seat was a firearm, which Jones said was for protection. 

Speaking to agents roadside, Jones said she went to Denver to pick up the drugs, later admitting in an interview that she had travelled there multiple times to get the illicit material. In a search of Jones’s phone, agents learned she was purchasing 3,000 fentanyl pills and a half-ounce of meth. Other messages on her phone indicated she was also selling fentanyl and methamphetamine.

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

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BILLINGS – A Billings man who trafficked drugs while working as a cab driver was sentenced today to 42 months in prison, followed by 2 years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Sammy Joe Nava, 51, pleaded guilty in January 2026 to one count of conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute, one count of possession with intent to distribute, and three counts of distribution of methamphetamine. 

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

The government alleged in court documents that while working as a driver for Yellow Cab, Nava and a partner were selling meth around Billings.

Acting on a tip from a confidential informant, law enforcement learned in June 2022 that Yellow Cab employees known as “Sam” and “Dave” were selling meth across town. Sam provided the meth and Dave was a middleman who helped with the buys, according to the informant. Agents later identified “Sam” as Sammy Joe Nava. 

Between June 13 and June 29, 2022, law enforcement set up four different buys using the informant, who purchased increasing amounts of meth from the two men. The informant would contact Dave, later identified as David Lee Owen, who would drive the informant to Nava’s location. Owen would take the informant’s money, go inside and return with the meth. 

The informant started by purchasing 27.8 grams of meth, then 28.5 grams, and then 111.9 grams. On the final buy, the informant set up a purchase for a pound of meth, roughly 445 grams. Agents moved in and arrested Owen at the Yellow Cab offices where he was found with the pound of meth. Nava was arrested afterward.

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

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BILLINGS – A Billings man who tried to buy a suitcase full of meth at a Laurel truck stop was sentenced today to 135 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Derrick Chandler Lucero, 48, pleaded guilty in January 2026 to one count of attempted possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. 

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

The government alleged in court documents that Lucero attempted to purchase 35 pounds of meth from a courier with ties to a Mexican drug operation.

The case against Lucero started in Omaha, Nebraska, when Omaha police officers and agents with the DEA intercepted a suspected drug courier at a bus station on July 22, 2025. The courier told law enforcement he was travelling from California to Montana – later admitting he had 35 pounds of meth in his bags. He then offered to help law enforcement deliver the meth as part of a controlled buy to catch the courier’s connection. Agents travelled with the courier to Billings along with the 35 pounds of meth, which was later tested to verify its legitimacy. They then swapped out 34 of the 35 bundles with white ice melt that they wrapped the same way as the original packages. 

Early on July 23, 2025, agents and the courier created a plan for delivery. Contacting his handlers in Mexico, the courier received instructions to contact the buyer by phone and determine a location to make the exchange. His handlers told him he was to collect $12,500. The buyer, later identified as Lucero, contacted the courier at 12:02 a.m. and told him they’d meet at the TA Truck Stop in Laurel. Asked for a description of his vehicle, Lucero responded, “I’m in a green and tan Ford Expedition.” 

Law enforcement started surveillance on the TA Truck Stop, eventually spotting the Expedition. The courier approached the Expedition with the suitcase holding the meth and ice melt. He opened the rear passenger door and set the suitcase inside. Lucero threw a stack of $100 bills on the back seat for the courier, who took the money, closed the car door and gave Lucero a thumbs up, indicating to the arrest teams that the transaction was complete. The agents moved in and arrested Lucero. 

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 numerous federal agencies and 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 and the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force conducted the investigation as part of the HSTF.

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GREAT FALLS – A Poplar man who strangled and sexually assaulted a teenage girl was sentenced today to 120 months in prison on one count of aggravated sexual abuse and 120 months on one count of commission of a sex offense by a registered sex offender. The two sentences will be served consecutively. He was also sentenced to a lifetime of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Arthur Dion Longee, 38, pleaded guilty in December 2025 to the two charges. 

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

The government alleged in court documents that Longee, who had previously been convicted of a sex crime in 2013, repeatedly strangled and sexually assaulted a teenage girl after spending the day drinking alcohol and smoking meth with her and a friend. 

On Jan. 22, 2025, Longee brought a 17-year-old girl and her friend over to his grandmother’s house in Poplar to smoke meth and drink alcohol. Later in the day, after dropping off the friend at her apartment, Longee and the 17-year-old girl returned to his bedroom.

The girl was on her tablet and Longee got angry, strangling her to unconsciousness. She regained consciousness before Longee strangled her again. When she awoke each time, she was in various stages of undress. At one point during the assault, she coughed up blood. She said Longee told her, “I’m sorry, babe. Am I scaring you?”

The girl cried and asked to leave but Longee wouldn’t let her, instead telling her that she was with him tonight. When she told him again that she wanted to go home and was scared, he again got angry, yelled at her and sexually assaulted her again. After another assault in the living room, the 17-year-old was able to escape through the kitchen and run to a friend’s house where the friend called 911.

At the hospital, the girl was interviewed by law enforcement, who obtained a search warrant for the Longee residence. They found Longee there, passed out on the floor and the house exactly as described by the girl. Agents awakened Longee, arrested him and swabbed him for DNA. At the hospital, the 17-year-old was evaluated by a sexual assault nurse examiner, who found injuries, bruising and other evidence of the assault. 

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

GREAT FALLS – A woman from Honduras who was accused of illegally reentering the country and transporting a Mexican national was found guilty by a federal jury today, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Following a three-day trial, Yolanda Ernestina Soto-Antunez, 41, was found guilty of being in the county illegally and transporting someone in the country illegally. Soto-Antunez faces up to five years of prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. 

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 is set for July 9, 2026, Soto-Antunez was detained pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents and at trial that Soto-Antunez was illegally transporting a Mexican national in the U.S. and that she had illegally reentered the country in 2016. 

A Phillips County Sheriff’s deputy pulled over Soto-Antunez on March 6, 2026, on Highway 2 near Malta for speeding. The deputy eventually requested translation help from two U.S. Border Patrol agents after he struggled to understand Soto-Antunez’s broken English. Law enforcement learned Soto-Antunez was in the county illegally from Honduras and the passenger in her car was in the country illegally from Mexico.

Through the course of their investigation, agents found $18,000 in a duffle bag that belonged to her passenger. He told agents he was traveling to Washington to borrow an additional $12,000 from a cousin for a total of $30,000 to pay for his sister to be transported illegally into the U.S. He was told to give the money to Soto-Antunez, who would deliver it to a group in Tijuana to get his sister across the border. 

Agents also learned Soto-Antunez had been previously deported from the U.S. in June 2012 and had reentered the country illegally in August 2016. 

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Border Patrol, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Phillip’s County Sheriff’s Office. 

GREAT FALLS – A Canadian woman who illegally reentered the U.S. after she was deported in 2023 was sentenced today to time served following her April 2026 arrest and will be deported again, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Eva Fehr, 24, pleaded guilty in May 2026 to one count of illegal reentry after deportation.

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

The government alleged in court documents that Fehr and a companion illegally drove across the border into Montana without possessing the necessary documentation. 

At 6:33 a.m. April 19, 2026, a border sensor was tripped when a gray 2002 Chevy Avalanche crossed into Montana. A U.S. Border Patrol agent tracked down the truck and pulled it over north of Hinsdale about an hour later. The agent verified that the Avalanche had failed to cross the border into Montana at a proper Port of Entry. 

Inside the truck were Fehr and a companion, and both admitted they were not U.S. citizens and had no immigration documents authorizing them to live, work, or travel in the United States. The two were taken into custody at the Malta Border Patrol Station, where Fehr acknowledged she was a Canadian citizen without the legal documentation needed to be in the U.S. 

Fehr previously had been deported in October 2023 after a warrant was issued for overstaying her visa. 

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

BILLINGS – A Billings man who shipped fentanyl pills to his partner as part of a drug trafficking scheme was sentenced today to 32 months of prison, followed by 4 years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Robert Roy Vincent, 36, pleaded guilty in January 2026 to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

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

The government alleged in court documents that Vincent shipped a box of fentanyl pills from a UPS store in California to his partner’s house in Billings.

In April 2024 law enforcement in Yellowstone County received a tip that Vincent was selling fentanyl in Billings; he was already wanted by police for a number of outstanding warrants. Officers obtained a search warrant for Vincent’s CashApp profile and learned he had received $4,800 from his partner between March and April 2024. 

The CashApp data included a transaction from a UPS store in California on April 9, 2024. Investigators contacted the UPS store and learned Vincent had mailed a package to his partner’s home in Billings. Law enforcement intercepted the package and found it contained approximately 2,000 fentanyl pills. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Godfrey prosecuted the case. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the DEA, and the Billings Police Department conducted the investigation.

BILLINGS – A Billings man who was dealing fentanyl pills from his South Side home admitted to charges today, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

The defendant, David Douglas Davis, 47, 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 offense. 

On the first count, Davis faces five to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine, four years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. On the second count, he faces five years to life in prison, a $250,000 fine, five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. 

U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided and will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing will be set at future date; Davis remained released pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that a search of Davis’s Billings home last fall turned up nearly 900 fentanyl pills and six firearms. 

The investigation began when the Billings Police Department’s Street Crimes Unit received a credible tip in October 2025 that a man named David was selling fentanyl from an address on Hallowell Lane. Investigators ended up speaking with a “known fentanyl dealer” who told them Davis was her fentanyl supplier and that she had been purchasing fentanyl pills from Davis for the past six months. 

On Oct. 29, 2025, officers served a search warrant on Davis’s Hallowell Lane home where they found 88.4 grams of fentanyl in the form of approximately 883 pills along with six firearms and $16,870 in cash. In his vehicle, they found another firearm and $2,520 in cash. Davis, who travels out of state to purchase the pills, told officers he began selling fentanyl in April 2025 “to make money.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The Billings Police Department and the FBI conducted the investigation.

GREAT FALLS – A man from Wolf Point who shot and killed one man and wounded another last fall was sentenced today to 188 months in prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Ethan Louis Murphy, 27, pleaded guilty in February 2026 to one count of second degree murder and one count of using a firearm in a crime of violence.

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

The government alleged in court documents that Murphy, carrying a handgun, walked up to two men in a grocery store parking lot and shot them, killing one and injuring the other.

Law enforcement first responded at 8:41 p.m. Sept. 28, 2025, when a 911 call reported gunshots in the Wolf Point Albertsons parking lot on the Fort Peck Reservation. Wolf Point police officers arrived and found two men on the ground, one of them dead from a gunshot wound to the head and the other injured.

Officers with Fort Peck Tribal Criminal Investigations and the FBI investigated the scene and collected four 9mm Luger casings. Surveillance from the grocery store showed Murphy walking up to one of the victims with his gun drawn and shooting him a single time in the head when the victim pulled out a black machete. Murphy then shot the second victim. A bystander called out, “It was Ethan, it was Ethan.”

Murphy turned himself in two days later on Sept. 30, 2025. Law enforcement found him in the passenger seat of a car with the pistol and ammunition they later matched to the shooting. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI, Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law and Justice, and the Wolf Point Police Department conducted the investigation.

GREAT FALLS – A Nashua man who helped traffic methamphetamine in Montana was sentenced today to 88 months, followed by 10 years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

J. Daniel Peters, 55, pleaded guilty in January 2026 to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute meth and possession with intent to distribute meth. 

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

The government alleged in court documents that Peters and a partner were smuggling meth from Michigan into the Wolf Point area by Amtrak train. 

In July 2024, law enforcement learned that Peters was possibly involved with moving drugs by train into Montana. By February 2025, agents had received approval to track calls made from Peters’s phone. They discovered Peters was in contact with a number ultimately determined to belong to Peters’s partner, Deante Mathis. 

The same phone number Peters and Mathis were using was also used as a contact number for Amtrak train reservations between Detroit, Michigan, and Glasgow, Montana. On March 20, 2025, law enforcement learned train tickets from Detroit to Glasgow had been purchased for the following day using the number. 

Law enforcement staked out the Glasgow Amtrak station and saw Peters arrive by car and pick up Mathis, who had been on the train. Officers searched Peters’s vehicle and found roughly one pound of meth in Mathis’s luggage. Mathis admitted to law enforcement that he moved meth by train three times in the previous six months, providing it to Peters who sold it around the Wolf Point area and using the proceeds to buy more.

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

GREAT FALLS – A Missoula man who had previously been convicted of felony assault admitted to illegally possessing a firearm today, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

The defendant, Jason Duane Spadt, 54, pleaded guilty to one count of prohibited person in possession of a firearm and ammunition. Spadt faces 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, three years 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 Oct. 8, 2026. Spadt remained released pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that Spadt was found with a loaded handgun in his truck during a traffic stop in Great Falls.

Spadt was convicted in October 2022 in Missoula County of partner/family member assault and as part of his conviction he is registered as a violent offender and explicitly prohibited from possessing firearms or ammunition.

On March 5, 2025, Spadt was pulled over in Great Falls and when officers conducted a probation search of Spadt’s truck, they found a 9mm handgun loaded with a round in the chamber. Along with the gun, officers found 9mm hollow point ammunition. 

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

BILLINGS – A Pryor man who had a video on his phone with sexually explicit material of a minor admitted to charges today, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

The defendant, Melvin Lee Stops, Jr., 23, pleaded guilty to one count of receiving child pornography. Stops faces five to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, at least a $35,000 special assessment, a separate $5,000 special assessment, five years to lifetime of supervised release, and an additional $100 special assessment. 

U.S. District Judge Watters will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing will be set by the court. Stops was detained pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that sexually explicit material of a minor was discovered on Stops’s cell phone in 2022.

Stops was at a house party in June 2022 where he left his phone after leaving the party. One of the partygoers found his phone and on it discovered “videos of underage girls.” She called law enforcement to report what she found. In December 2025, law enforcement served a search warrant on the phone and found the video.  

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

GREAT FALLS – A Mexican citizen illegally traveling in Conrad who used fake immigration documents was sentenced today to time served, two months, and remanded to the custody of the U.S. Border Patrol, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Armando Leal-Delgado, 52, pleaded guilty in May 2026 to one count of illegal reentry to the United States after removal. 

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

The government alleged in court documents that after having been removed from the country three times, Delagado again illegally reentered the United States.

A Pondera County Sheriff’s deputy stopped a vehicle near a Town Pump gas station in Conrad on April 10, 2026, for having expired registration. Traveling with the deputy was a U.S. Border Patrol agent. Delgado presented a Colorado driver’s license and, running his name, the law enforcement officers learned Delgado had previously been deported from the United States.

Law enforcement learned that Delgado was first sent back to Mexico in March 2014 after having been apprehended in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. He was discovered again in New Mexico a month later and was again deported to Mexico in April 2014. Delgado was again discovered in New Mexico in March 2016 and was sent back to Mexico two months later in June 2016. The last two times he was found, Delgado was convicted for reentering the country without permission.

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

GREAT FALLS – A Heart Butte man who shot at a family, including two children, on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation admitted to charges today, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

The defendant, Raymond David Boggs, Jr., 53, pleaded guilty to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon and two counts of felony child abuse. Boggs faces 10 years of imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release. 

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 Sept. 28, 2026. Boggs remained released with conditions pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that on the evening of May 14, 2024, multiple law enforcement agencies near Heart Butte, Montana, responded to a 911 call. The call came from Jane Doe 1, and her son, John Doe 1, who were cleaning out a family property along with Jane Doe 1’s 12-year-old nephew (John Doe 2) and her 11-year-old niece (Jane Doe 2). Both Jane Doe 1 and John Doe 1 told the dispatcher that the defendant, Raymond Boggs, was shooting at them. 

When officers arrived, Jane Doe 1 and John Doe 1 explained that Boggs had yelled at them from his property while he watched them from a golf cart before he returned to that area in a truck. He pulled a gun from his truck and fired at the group while they were outside, and he continued to shoot into the house when the four took shelter inside. Jane Doe 1 and John Doe 2 described hearing two different sounding gunshots. They then pointed out Boggs to the officers as he drove around on a golf cart. A group of officers canvassed the area between the two houses. They 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. 

At the direction of Jane Doe 1 and John Doe 1, officers found spent shell casings at the location where Boggs was shooting. Along with the spent shell casings was a spent shotgun shell; ballistic evidence showed the casing had been fired from Boggs’ shotgun. Officers also observed bullet holes in the exterior of the house that traveled into the house, and they observed 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, including John Doe 2 and Jane Doe 2, 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 man who previously had been removed from the country four times admitted to charges of illegal reentry today, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

The defendant, Tony Noe Oviedo Zelaya, 28, pleaded guilty to one count of reentry to the United States after having been previously removed. Oviedo Zelaya faces 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, three years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. 

U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto presided at the change of plea proceedings. U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for Oct. 8, 2026. Oviedo Zelaya remained in custody pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that Oviedo Zelaya is a native citizen of Honduras and that he illegally entered the United States on multiple occasions. 

West Yellowstone police officers pulled over Oviedo Zelaya on April 14, 2026, and discovered he was driving on a suspended license. They learned he was a Honduran national who had been removed from the country on four different occasions. The last time was March 21, 2025, when he was barred from returning to the U.S. for 20 years. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The Bureau of Immigration and Custom Enforcement conducted the investigation.

HELENA – An East Helena man who pulled a gun on a high school student driving through his neighborhood was sentenced today to five years of probation with 80 hours of community service, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Ryan Christopher Williams, 47, pleaded guilty in February 2026 to one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in a school zone.

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

The government alleged in court documents that, while within 1,000 feet of a high school, Williams pulled a gun on a student who had been driving through his neighborhood. 

On May 1, 2025, an East Helena High School student was driving through a neighborhood on his way to class and passed a vehicle headed in the opposite direction. The student said the driver then turned his vehicle around and began following him, tailing him to the school. At an intersection in front of the high school, the driver cut off the student with his vehicle, forcing him to stop.

The man then got out of his vehicle, approached the high-schooler and pulled his gun, pointing it at the student. He chastised the teenager for driving too fast and the student apologized. The man got back in his vehicle and left; the student finished driving to school and reported what happened to school staff. 

The school called law enforcement and deputies with the Lewis & Clark County Sheriff’s Office canvassed the neighborhood. They eventually found a vehicle that matched the one described by the high-schooler parked on the 2700 block of Bandera Drive. It was registered to Williams. A sheriff’s deputy contacted Williams, who matched the description given by the student, and interviewed him on his front lawn. Williams confirmed that he’d pulled the student over earlier and acknowledged that he was armed at the time. But he denied pulling the gun and pointing it at the teenager. Deputies found the gun on William’s property and it matched the one described by the student. Deputies arrested Williams, who was then interviewed by ATF agents.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Lewis & Clark County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.

BILLINGS – A Billings man who tried to collect a package from the post office with 6,000 carfentanil pills hidden inside a stuffed animal was sentenced today, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Timothy Christopher Payne was sentenced to 140 months in prison with five years of supervised release on one count of attempted possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. He was also sentenced to 48 months in prison on one count of using a communication facility in a felony act related to a controlled substance. The two sentences will run concurrently. 

Payne, 39, pleaded guilty in February 2026 to the two counts.

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

The government alleged in court documents that a suspicious package addressed to Payne’s residence on Lewis Avenue in Billings held just over a pound of carfentanil that Payne intended to traffic. 

On Oct. 17, 2025, the U.S. Postal Service flagged a package as suspicious that had been mailed to a “George Pina” but addressed to a residence associated with Payne. Investigators filed for a search warrant to open the package and as they waited for approval Payne arrived at the post office to pick up the parcel, using the name George Pina.

The day before, a mail carrier had attempted to deliver the package to Payne’s residence but it was too large to fit in his mailbox. The carrier continued on with her route and a few minutes later Payne flagged her down and attempted to retrieve the package. The carrier told him he would have to pick it up at the post office, which is what Payne tried to do the next day.

At the post office Payne was told the package had yet to arrive and so he left his phone number, requesting a call once it was ready for pickup. In the meantime investigators received their warrant and opened the package. Inside they found a stuffed animal that concealed a baggie of approximately 6,000 blue pills marked “M 30.” Technicians tested the pills, which together weighed approximately 575.6 grams or 1.2 pounds, and found they contained carfentanil, a synthetic fentanyl analogue.

Agents then called Payne and told him his package had arrived. Payne returned to the post office, picked up his parcel and walked back outside. Agents at that point arrested him, to which Payne responded repeatedly, “I knew you guys were here. I knew you guys were coming.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The United States Postal Inspection Service, Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and the Billings Police Department conducted the investigation.

BILLINGS – A Worden man who regularly sold methamphetamine out of his rural Yellowstone County home admitted to charges today, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

The defendant, John Paul Schmieding, 49, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Schmieding faces five to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine, four years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment. 

U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Schmieding will receive a date for his sentencing at a future appearance; he was released back to supervision pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that an investigation by local and federal law enforcement into bank fraud and stolen guns led officials to a meth trafficking operation run by Schmieding.

On Aug. 6, 2025, Billings police officers arrested a man suspected of trying to cash fraudulent checks at a local bank. A search of his vehicle turned up more fraudulent documents and a stolen handgun. From jail, in an effort to raise bond money, the man directed his girlfriend to sell off stolen guns and other items to Schmieding, who had been identified by the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Taskforce as someone with a history of trafficking meth in the Billings area.

Using a warrant, investigators began tracking the vehicles and cell phones used by the girlfriend and another woman, which led officers to the Billings home of Schmieding’s father and Schmieding’s residence in Worden. The two women later told investigators they had regularly purchased meth from Schmieding.

On Sept. 17, 2025, investigators served a search warrant on both locations, where they discovered a “large cache of stolen firearms” in the Billings home and meth and drug paraphernalia in Schmieding’s Worden residence. Specifically in Worden, officers discovered in the sink a torn vacuum pack plastic bag filled with water and containing meth residue. Agents cut the P-trap out of the sink and collected the water inside, which also tested positive for meth. They also discovered glass pipes with meth residue, a digital scale and cash. 

Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Rubich is prosecuting the case. The Billings Police Department, Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office, and the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Taskforce conducted the investigation.

BILLINGS – A Missoula man who trafficked methamphetamine and fentanyl from Washington to Montana was sentenced today to 55 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said.

Nathanial John Shoen, 33, pleaded guilty in January 2026 to one count of possession with the intent to distribute controlled substances. 

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

The government alleged in court documents that Shoen, along with Devon Bond and Joseph Cierley, was transporting methamphetamine and fentanyl from Washington state to Missoula with plans to distribute.

Bond, 29, was sentenced on April 24, 2026, to 10 years and six months in prison and five years of supervised release. Cierley, 38, was sentenced on May 19, 2026, to seven years and three months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

Law enforcement officers began surveillance on Shoen, Bond and Cierley in summer 2025 after receiving a tip from an informant that the group was bringing back “pounds of methamphetamine and ounces of fentanyl” from Washington.

Officers conducted a traffic stop in July 2025 of a vehicle in which the three men were traveling. In the vehicle, agents discovered 896.9 grams, or nearly 2 pounds, of meth, 66.4 grams of fentanyl pills and a loaded .357 revolver. A search of the men’s cell phones showed that all three were involved in distributing the drugs. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Missoula Drug Task Force conducted the investigation.

GREAT FALLS – A Poplar man convicted of murder and using a firearm in the commission of the murder was sentenced to 186 months in prison and five years of supervised release Wednesday, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said.

Michael J. Ackerman, 74, pleaded guilty in January 2026 to one count of second-degree murder and one count of use of a firearm during a crime of violence. 

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

The government alleged in court documents that early in the morning on Sept. 14, 2025, Yellowstone County Sheriff’s deputies in Billings received a call and were told Ackerman had admitted to killing three people – Jane Doe 1, John Doe and Jane Doe 2. Deputies then tried to contact Ackerman inside the house in Billings.

After deputies read Ackerman his Miranda rights, he agreed to speak with law enforcement. He said on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, he was in his home in Poplar and he and the rest of the people in the house were using methamphetamine. Ackerman believed Jane Doe 1, John Doe, and Jane Doe 2 were “setting him up.” Ackerman said he was in the bedroom with Jane Doe 1, and Jane Doe 1 had a pistol in her hand. In response, Ackerman picked up his Smith and Wesson 9 mm pistol and shot Jane Doe 1 twice in the head. The defendant then said he heard John Doe and Jane Doe 2 moving in the next room so walked over where John Doe and Jane Doe 2 were sleeping and shot them both. Ackerman told deputies they would find the deceased inside his house in Poplar.

Yellowstone County contacted Fort Peck Law and Justice Department officers, who went to the Poplar residence and received no response. They were granted a telephonic search warrant from the Fort Peck Tribal Court and went inside the house at around 5:30 a.m. Inside they found the dead bodies mentioned by Ackerman – Jane Doe 1, John Doe, and Jane Doe 2. All three had gunshot wounds and four 9 mm casings were close to the bodies.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The FBI, Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law and Justice and Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.

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GREAT FALLS – A Las Vegas man who stole nearly $59,000 in coins and precious metal from a Helena business was sentenced today to 27 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $276,153.08 in restitution to the Helena business as well as five other theft victims, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said. 

Bishop Lott, 47, pleaded guilty in January 2026 to one count of interstate transportation of stolen property.

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

The government alleged in court documents that Lott, along with Ricky Rynell Rose, broke into Wayne Miller Coins in Helena and stole $58,629 worth of coins and precious metal. Rose pleaded guilty last year and was sentenced to 39 months in prison.

The Helena Police Department got a call March 3, 2024, saying that Wayne Miller Coins had been burglarized earlier that day. As part of their investigation, Helena police officers reviewed surveillance footage from multiple businesses and analyzed email account data, which led them to Lott and Rose, who had taken the stolen material to Nevada.

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

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GREAT FALLS – A Hays man convicted of assaulting two women on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation was sentenced to prison today, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said.

Lane Blake Kirkaldie, 21, pleaded guilty in January 2026 to one count of assault with a dangerous weapon and one count of simple assault. For the assault with a dangerous weapon charge, Kirkaldie will serve 12 months a one day in prison; for the simple assault, he’ll serve six months. The two sentences will run concurrent.

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

The government alleged in court documents that in the early hours of Jan. 1, 2025, Kirkaldie and a group of people were gathered at a house on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation to celebrate New Year’s. At some point in the night, according to witnesses, Kirkaldie got into an altercation with Jane Doe 2, with whom he was in a romantic relationship. Kirkaldie was told to leave; Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2 left the house with him. 

The trio walked to a business in Lodge Pole where Kirkaldie was captured on surveillance video throwing things and then lunging toward Jane Doe 2. The video also shows him making threatening comments while holding a glass bottle. A second surveillance video from inside the business shows both Jane Does leave the building, with Kirkaldie trailing them outside. He tried to approach Jane Doe 2 and Jane Doe 1 put herself between them. She held Kirkaldie back as Jane Doe 2 returned inside. Kirkaldie then pushed Jane Doe 1 away and struck her in the head with the glass bottle, which cut her head deeply enough to require stitches.

A third surveillance video captures the three back inside the building. Both women are crying and Kirkaldie can be heard making more threatening comments. He then appears either to strike or attempt to strike Jane Doe 2 in the face. 

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

GREAT FALLS – A Great Falls man who was caught trafficking fentanyl pills admitted to charges today, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said.

The defendant, Zachary Taylor Cortez, 28, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, and faces five to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine, at least four years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. 

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for September 24, 2026. Cortez was remanded pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that from June to August 2024, the Great Falls Police Department launched an investigation into Cortez and a co-defendant, whom law enforcement officials suspected were distributing fentanyl in town. Through the course of the investigation, officers obtained a warrant to track and search Cortez’s vehicle. Police then pulled over the vehicle and discovered 97 grams of fentanyl in pill form and a digital scale. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The Great Falls Police Department, the Russell Country Drug Taskforce, and the Drug Enforcement Administration conducted the investigation.

GREAT FALLS – A Mexican national who had previously been deported and was living in the country illegally with a forged permanent resident card admitted to charges today, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said.

The defendant, Isaias Martinez Araiza, 48, pleaded guilty today to one count of possessing a fraudulent immigration document and one count of illegal reentry into the country. Araiza faces up to 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release for each count. 

U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for July 8, 2026, in Great Falls. Araiza remained detained pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that in early April 2026, Araiza was living in Great Falls with a Permanent Resident Alien card containing another person’s alien number that he illegally obtained. Araiza had previously been deported from the United States in May 2017 after authorities discovered he had a felony conviction on his record from June 2003. 

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

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

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MISSOULA – As part of the nation’s Freedom 250 celebration, the U.S. Attorney’s Office District of Montana recognized Missoula police officer Dylan Harris as a Hometown Hero in a small ceremony this morning.

Harris has worked for the Missoula Police Department since 2021, where he currently serves as the School Resource Officer for Hellgate High School. He also serves as the department’s field training officer, crisis team negotiator and leads and instructs the department’s riot team. He began his career with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office in Washington state in 2016 after graduating from the University of Montana.

In addition to his duties with the MPD, Harris proudly serves with Oregon National Guard. From 2024 to 2025, Harris was deployed to northeast Syria as a captain in the field artillery as part of Operation Inherent Resolve. He served as a battery commander for two different batteries simultaneously in two different locations with over 100 soldiers under his command. His service there earned him the Bronze Star.

“I can think of no better way to contribute to the celebration of America’s 250th birthday than to recognize one of our fellow citizens for his dedicated efforts to keep his community safe. Public service is one of the hallmarks of this great country and working in law enforcement and serving in the military are two of its purest forms. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is grateful to all our service members and our partners in law enforcement. We’re honored to recognize Officer Harris for his selflessness commitment to his city, state, and country.” said Tim Racicot, acting U.S. Attorney.

Harris comes from a proud tradition of law enforcement and public service. His father served with the Portland Police Bureau and currently serves with the Clark County Sheriff’s Office. His brother is a sergeant with the Vancouver Police Department in Washington.

Harris is supported by the love of his wife and son, and he remains steadfast in his dedication to the City of Missoula and the broader community. Through his leadership, integrity and continued service, he exemplifies the values of professionalism, courage and selfless commitment that define the spirit of the U.S. Justice Department’s Hometown Hero Award.

The Hometown Hero Award, offered in commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America, celebrates the enduring ideals of liberty, service and civic responsibility. It is bestowed in recognition of brave men and women who exemplify steadfast commitment to these ideals and embody the spirit upon which our nation was founded.

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GREAT FALLS – A Hays woman who participated in the assault of a man who later succumbed to his injuries was sentenced today to 18 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said.

Alta Rose Chandler, 24, pleaded guilty in January 2026 to one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury.

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

The government alleged in court documents that Fort Belknap law enforcement, responding to a 911 call, discovered John Doe bloodied and unconscious on his kitchen floor around 6 a.m. September 30, 2023. At the home were Doe’s adult daughter, Heavenlee Drewann Sears, a relative who had called 911, and Chandler.

Earlier in the evening, Sears and Chandler were driving around Fort Belknap and drinking from a bottle of peppermint schnapps they’d purchased during their night out after consuming an 18-pack of beer. At some point, they arrived at Doe’s house and continued drinking with him in his kitchen. Sears later told investigators she lost her temper and struck Doe repeatedly in the head with the glass schnapps bottle, knocking him to the floor. Once on the ground, Chandler continued to punch Doe in the head, leaving her knuckles bruised.

Once paramedics arrived, Doe was taken to Fort Belknap Indian Health Services where he was unresponsive and breathing erratically. His ears and face were bruised and swollen, his nose was lacerated, his upper lip was lacerated, and he had a human bite mark on his forehead. He also had bite marks on his left wrist and left upper chest.

Doe died two months later on December 11, 2023, due to a traumatic brain injury. On March 11, 2026, Sears was sentenced to 22 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release for her role in the assault.

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

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GREAT FALLS - A Harlem man who was discovered with methamphetamine, fentanyl pills, and scales at home admitted to charges today, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said.

The defendant, Harold Edwin Main, 28, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of methamphetamine and fentanyl with intent to distribute. Main faces five to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine, at least four years of supervised release and a $100 special assessment. 

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for September 23, 2026. Main was released pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that on April 15, 2024, a Fort Belknap police officer pulled over a 2017 Jeep Cherokee driven by Main with three other passengers, two of them children. The officer discovered inside the vehicle 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 executed a search warrant on Main’s house on Fort Belknap. There officers discovered more methamphetamine, 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.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office is prosecuting the case. The BIA Fort Belknap Police Department conducted the investigation.

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MISSOULA – A Bozeman woman who obtained federal COVID relief funds through fraud was sentenced yesterday to 30 months in prison to be followed by 5 years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said. 

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

Alaina Marie Garcia, 41, previously pleaded guilty in January 2026 to one count of bank fraud and one count of money laundering.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division ('Fraud Division'). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

The government alleged in court documents that on May 5, 2020, Garcia, as an authorized representative of Bluebird Property Rentals LLC, an entity she controlled, applied for and was approved for a Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loan through Celtic Bank in the amount of $613,000. In the PPP application, Garcia falsely stated Bluebird Property Rentals LLC had paid payroll taxes and had 32 employees with an average monthly payroll expense of $245,533. None of these statements were true.

In reality, Garcia and Bluebird Property Rentals LLC had no employees and had never paid payroll taxes. Both of these fraudulent statements were material as they affected Garcia’s eligibility to receive the loan and the amount she received. Without these fraudulent statements, the loan would not have been issued.

In the loan application, Garcia also agreed the funds “will be used to retain workers and maintain payroll or make mortgage interest payments, lease payments, and utility payments, as specified under the Paycheck Protection Program Rule.” Instead, Garcia spent the funds on personal expenses for her private benefit. Most of the funds were used to purchase a large piece of property in the Bozeman area. On May 11, 2020, Garcia transferred $548,000 of the loan proceeds to Axilon Law Group as a part of this real estate transaction.

On July 25, 2020, Garcia applied for and was granted forgiveness of the loan. To obtain forgiveness, Garcia falsely claimed to have used the funds for qualified expenses including payroll and business mortgage interest payments. None of these statements were true.

“While business owners and families were struggling during the COVID pandemic, Garcia was scheming to defraud the Paycheck Protection Program for personal gain,” said Amanda Prestegard, Special Agent in Charge of IRS‑CI’s Denver Field Office. “IRS‑CI has dedicated significant resources to investigating and uncovering COVID‑relief fraud and holding those who stole from these programs accountable continues to be a top priority.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Rubich prosecuted the case. The Internal Revenue Service and Small Business Administration conducted the investigation.

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BILLINGS - A Billings man who trafficked significant amounts of methamphetamine admitted to charges today, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said.

The defendant, Joshua Jacob Best, 40, pleaded guilty to one count of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute. Best faces 15 years to life in prison, a $20,000,000 fine, at least 10 years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for October 1, 2026. Best remained detained pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that a drug smuggling ring run out of Mexico and operating in Wyoming, South Dakota, California, and Montana, had operators in Billings. Billings police learned through an informant in June 2023 that Raymond Best was bringing “pounds of meth” and other drug into Billings. 

Over the course of the next several months, investigators learned Best’s brother, Joshua Best, was helping move cash and drugs between Mexico and Billings. During an undercover operation in October 2023, Joshua Best arranged to deliver $67,000 in the Walmart parking lot to an undercover agent who would then transport the money to the Los Angeles area. Best showed up to make the drop in a black Chevy Camaro.

In January 2024, following a lead from the DEA, law enforcement pulled over a courier in a rental car after it had left Des Moines, Iowa, and discovered 57 pounds of methamphetamine, approximately 1 kilogram of cocaine and approximately 2 pounds of marijuana. The rental car had been arranged by Joshua Best, who was the contact to pick up the drugs once they reached Billings.

Then in March 2024, Joshua Best crashed a black Chevy Camaro on Monad Road. He ran from the scene, dropping two heat-sealed bags as he fled. Officers served a search warrant on the Camaro and found a vacuum sealed bag containing 496.4 grams of methamphetamine on the driver’s side floor. Also in the car were numerous documents belonging to Joshua Best even though he was not the registered owner.

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 is prosecuting the case. The Billings Police Department and Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area task force conducted the investigation as part of the HSTF.

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BILLINGS – A Park County man who built and stored incendiary devices in his trailer in Pray, Montana, and kept detailed plans on how to attack nearby Chico Hot Springs, was sentenced today to 120 months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said.

Kadin Hawkeye Lewis, 24, pleaded guilty in January 2026 to one count of possession of unregistered destructive devices.

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

The government alleged in court documents that a call to law enforcement on Sept. 19, 2022, led officers to Lewis’ travel trailer in Pray, an unincorporated community in Park County, Montana. Once inside the trailer, officers discovered the body of a man who had multiple gunshot wounds to the top and back of the head.

Officers obtained a search warrant for the trailer and inside found eight Molotov cocktails stored in a cabinet, each bottle assembled with fuel and wicks. Elsewhere in the trailer, officers found dozens of empty bottles and rags that could be used to assemble more Molotov cocktails, as well as several journals and other writings belonging to Lewis. On the walls, officers observed violent extremist and racially motivated drawings and writing.

In some of his journals, Lewis detailed his admiration of mass shooters and fantasized about using Molotov cocktails as destructive devices to attack Chico Hot Springs, a nearby resort. He wrote about using the Molotov cocktails and firearms to build up a “kill count” as high as possible, aiming for between “17 and 30 casualties.” He also identified other hot spring resorts throughout Montana by name and location and wrote that it was his hope his attack would inspire others.

The Molotov cocktail evidence from the trailer was collected and submitted to the FBI Laboratory. Explosives experts there determined the material inside the bottles was an ignitable liquid that, when lit, would function as an improvised incendiary device, commonly known as homemade firebombs or Molotov cocktails. A search of the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record found Lewis had never applied for or received permission to possess a destructive device.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Starnes prosecuted the case. The FBI and Park County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation.

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MISSOULA – A man and woman from Florence who trafficked methamphetamine in Missoula were sentenced to prison today, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said.

Megal Vincienzo Daricek, 30, and Summer Dawn Walraven, 28, both pleaded guilty in January 2026, to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

Daricek also pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

Walraven was sentenced today to 48 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Daricek was sentenced to 140 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

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

The government alleged in court documents that both Walraven and Daricek had traveled to Spokane, Washington, to pick up methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it in Missoula.

Members of the Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force executed a search warrant on April 4, 2025, on Walraven’s room at the Liv-A-Way Suites in Missoula after receiving a tip that she and Daricek were trafficking methamphetamine. While searching Walraven’s room, officers found over a pound of meth, numerous baggies, scales and other items that could be used in the distribution of illicit substances.

Walraven told officers she had purchased approximately two pounds of meth in Spokane with plans to traffic it in Missoula.

A month later, officers pulled over Daricek on May 2, 2025, continuing the Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force investigation into the transportation of methamphetamine from Spokane to Missoula. After initially denying that he had drugs in the car, Daricek admitted to officers that he used meth and had picked up “pound quantities” of it in Spokane. He also acknowledged that he had obtained a Glock .40 firearm during one of his transactions.

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

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MISSOULA – A Missoula man who trafficked methamphetamine and fentanyl between Washington and Missoula was sentenced today to 87 months in prison, followed by 3 years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Tim Racicot said.

Joseph Daniel Cierley, 38, pleaded guilty in January 2026, to one count of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances.

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

The government alleged in court documents that Cierley with a pair of associates were transporting methamphetamine and fentanyl from Washington state to Missoula with plans to distribute.

Law enforcement officers began surveillance on Cierley and his associates in summer 2025 after receiving a tip from an informant that the group was bringing back “pounds of methamphetamine and ounces of fentanyl” from Washington.

Officers conducted a traffic stop in July 2025 of a vehicle in which the three men were traveling; Cierley was a passenger. In the vehicle, agents discovered 896.9 grams, or nearly 2 pounds, of meth, 66.4 grams of fentanyl pills and a loaded .357 revolver. A search of the men’s cell phones showed that all three were involved in distributing the drugs. It also showed 1,000 of the fentanyl pills had been purchased by Cierley.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Missoula Drug Task Force conducted the investigation.

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