FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, January 04, 2008
ANDRE FULLER 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 January 4, 2008, before Chief U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy, ANDRE FULLER, a 22-year-old resident of Bozeman, appeared for sentencing. FULLER was sentenced to a term of:
- Prison: 9 months
- Special Assessment: $100
- Supervised Release: 3 years
FULLER was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to distribution of cocaine.
In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
Between approximately June of 2006 and the present date, the Missouri River Drug Task Force investigated the illicit trafficking of cocaine in the Bozeman area. As part of that investigation, the law enforcement authorities investigated FULLER for distributing cocaine between the months of May and August of 2006.
Confidential informants (CIs) were used to make controlled purchases of illegal drugs from certain individuals. On June 21, 2006, a CI participated in a controlled purchase of cocaine from FULLER in Bozeman. The CI would have testified that FULLER distributed approximately one-eighth of an ounce of purported cocaine to the CI.
The purported cocaine was subsequently analyzed by the Montana State Division of Forensic Science where it was determined that the substance did in fact contain a detectable amount of cocaine.
A witness would have testified that she met FULLER and another individual during the summer of 2006 in Bozeman. The witness stated that she purchased approximately three and one-half ounces of cocaine from FULLER and the other individual between June and August of 2006.
The other individual would have testified that she purchased cocaine from FULLER on numerous occasions during June of 2006.
Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that FULLER will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, FULLER 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 Joseph E. Thaggard prosecuted the case for the United States.
The investigation was conducted by the Missouri River Drug Task Force.
