FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, February 28, 2008
MARVIN DUANE MULLEN and MARLENA HARRIGER 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 Helena, on February 28, 2008, before Senior U.S. District Judge Charles C. Lovell, MARVIN DUANE MULLEN, a 58-year-old resident of Shelton, Washington, and MARLENA HARRIGER, a 45-year-old resident of Shelton/Tacoma, Washington, appeared for sentencing.
MULLEN was sentenced to a term of:
- Prison: 88 months
- Special Assessment: $100
- Supervised Release: 5 years
HARRIGER was sentenced to a term of:
- Prison: 63 months
- Special Assessment: $100
- Supervised Release: 5 years
They were sentenced in connection with their guilty pleas to conspiracy to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine.
In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
Between April of 2006, and continuing through July of 2007, MULLEN and HARRIGER were involved in a conspiracy with several other individuals to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine in Meagher, Mineral, Lewis and Clark, and Gallatin counties.
Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that they will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, they do 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 Paulette L. Stewart prosecuted the case for the United States.
The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Bozeman and Helena Missouri River Drug Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Meagher County Sheriff's Office, the Mineral County Sheriff's Office, the Montana Highway Patrol, and the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office in California.
