FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
JAMES DALE PARKER SENTENCED IN U.S. DISTRICT COURT
Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Missoula, on November 21, 2007, before Chief U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy, JAMES DALE PARKER, a 36-year-old resident of Bozeman, appeared for sentencing. PARKER was sentenced to a term of:
- Prison: 70 months
- Special Assessment: $100
- Supervised Release: 5 years
PARKER was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
On August 16, 2004, Roy Allen Bianchi, Jose Ramiro Pena, and Joel Vargas Torres were stopped by a Gallatin County Sheriff's deputy for failing to dim the headlights of the vehicle they were driving. The vehicle, a white Chevy pickup, was registered to PARKER. Bianchi, Pena and Torres had some drugs and paraphernalia in the vehicle, as well as room keys for two rooms at the TLC Inn in Bozeman.
Officers searched the rooms and seized approximately three-quarters of a pound of methamphetamine, a pistol, and other indicia of drug use and drug distribution, including a digital scale. They also seized a deck of playing cards bearing the name "Mike" and a phone number. Gallatin County Sheriff's Office records indicated that phone number was linked to Michael Emery.
Bianchi, Pena, and Torres were indicted for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Bianchi pled guilty to both charges and was sentenced to 117 months imprisonment. Pena and Torres were convicted following trial.
After the indictment was returned, Bianchi turned himself in to DEA agents in Washington and consented to an interview concerning the scope of the conspiracy. He was de-briefed again prior to Pena's and Torres' trial. During those interviews, he fully admitted his involvement in the conspiracy and described the transportation of methamphetamine from Washington to Montana on several occasions during the spring and summer of 2004. He also identified two of the Montana buyers as Michael Danon Emery and PARKER. According to Bianchi, he met Parker through Emery, with whom he had grown up in Washington. Emery had moved to Bozeman and Bianchi contacted him about the possibility of distributing drugs in Montana.
Based on the information provided by Bianchi, law enforcement officers obtained and reviewed occupancy and phone records from the hotels that Bianchi, Pena, and Torres frequented during their drug runs. Records from the TLC Inn reflect that Bianchi rented rooms on July 30 and 31, 2004, August 6 and 7, 2004, August 10 and 11, 2004, and August 15 and 16, 2004. On August 15 and 16, 2004, five calls were placed from Bianchi's room at the TLC Inn to Emery's phone number. Those calls would corroborate Bianchi's testimony that he would make contact with Emery in order to facilitate the deliveries of methamphetamine to Emery and Parker. On August 8, 2004, PARKER rented a room at the TLC Inn. He made three calls from the room, including one to Emery.
Emery pled guilty on April 11, 2007, and was interviewed by law enforcement on June 29, 2007. He provided information consistent with that provided by Bianchi, including information about the role played by Parker in the distribution of methamphetamine in the Bozeman area during the life of the conspiracy.
Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that PARKER will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, PARKER does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Racicot prosecuted the case for the United States.
The investigation was conducted by the Missouri River Drug Task Force.
