FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
ROBERT M. BANCROFT PLEADS GUILTY IN U.S. FEDERAL COURT
Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Missoula on October 29, 2007, before Chief U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy, ROBERT M. BANCROFT, a 38-year-old resident of Martin City, pled guilty to possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Sentencing is set for February 15, 2008. He is currently detained.
In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
In April of 2006, following tips from informants, surveillance, and a controlled buy of methamphetamine from BANCROFT at his residence, law enforcement officers searched BANCROFT'S residence. Inside the residence, officers recovered a plastic bag weighing approximately 340 grams which contained a substance which appeared to be methamphetamine.
The suspected methamphetamine was sent to a DEA laboratory which confirmed that the mixture did indeed contain methamphetamine and that the total amount of pure methamphetamine was approximately 150 grams.
BANCROFT faces possible penalties of a mandatory 10 years in prison and could be sentenced to life in prison, a $4,000,000 fine and 5 years supervised release.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Josh Van de Wetering prosecuted the case for the United States.
The investigation was conducted by the Kalispell High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force.
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A copy of the Offer of Proof can be obtained by contacting Sally Frank at (406) 247-4638.
