FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, March 28, 2008
MELISSA SHUMSKY 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 28, 2008, before Chief U.S. District Judge Richard F. Cebull, MELISSA SHUMSKY, a 26-year-old resident of California, appeared for sentencing. SHUMSKY was sentenced to a term of:
- Prison: 16 months
- Special Assessment: $100
- Supervised Release: 4 years
SHUMSKY was sentenced in connection with her guilty plea to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute marijuana.
At the sentencing proceeding, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
From approximately 2004 up to and including April 25, 2005, in Billings and elsewhere, SHUMSKY engaged in a conspiracy with several other individuals to possess with the intent to distribute over 100 kilograms of marijuana, a Schedule I controlled substance.
Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that SHUMSKY will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, SHUMSKY 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 cooperative effort between the Drug Enforcement Administration, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force.
