FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, March 27, 2008
JAMES OSBORNE AND ELAINE BESTON PLEAD 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 Great Falls on March 27, 2008, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, JAMES OSBORNE, age 34, and ELAINE BESTON, age 33, residents of Great Falls, pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Sentencing is set for July 14, 2008. They are currently detained.
In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
In February of 2006, the Great Falls Police Department and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) began to investigate the distribution of methamphetamine in Great Falls by a drug trafficking organization. At the head of the group was J.C. (an indicted coconspirator who was arrested in another district, released, and is now a fugitive). The authorities learned that between 2005 and the end of May, 2006, J.C. imported multiple pounds of methamphetamine from California to Great Falls.
J.C. distributed the methamphetamine through a number of lower level drug traffickers in Great Falls, one of whom was A.B. A.B. was an associate of OSBORNE and his girlfriend, BESTON.
Around the last quarter of 2005, A.B. began to provide methamphetamine to OSBORNE and BESTON. They, in turn, distributed the methamphetamine to others. OSBORNE and BESTON continued to receive methamphetamine from A.B. and distribute it until late March of 2006, when BESTON was arrested on another matter.
In November of 2007, members of ICE and the Great Falls Police Department interviewed BESTON. She admitted that she and OSBORNE distributed methamphetamine which they had received from A.B. She stated that A.B. initially provided her with 3.5 grams of the drugs every couple of days. OSBORNE stated that from Christmas of 2005 to her arrest in late March of 2006, A.B. provided her with an ounce of methamphetamine every other day. She and OSBORNE, in turn, distributed that methamphetamine to others.
OSBORNE faces possible penalties of a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and could be sentenced to life, a $4,000,000 fine and 5 years supervised release.
BESTON faces possible penalties of a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and could be sentenced to life, a $8,000,000 fine and 10 years supervised release.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph E. Thaggard prosecuted the case for the United States.
The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Great Falls Police Department and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
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A copy of the Offer of Proof can be obtained by contacting Sally Frank at (406) 247-4638.
