FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
MICHAEL HUGHES 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 Billings, on March 19, 2008, before Senior U.S. District Judge Jack D. Shanstrom, MICHAEL HUGHES, a 21-year-old resident of Billings, appeared for sentencing. HUGHES was sentenced to a term of:
- Prison: 83 months
- Special Assessment: $100
- Supervised Release: 5 years
HUGHES was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
At the sentencing hearing, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
From early 2005, up to and including an unknown date in 2006, HUGHES was involved in a conspiracy with other individuals to possess with the intent to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine in the Billings area.
Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that HUGHES will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, HUGHES 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 James E. Seykora prosecuted the case for the United States.
The investigation was a conducted by the Billings Big Sky Safe Streets Task Force.
