FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 24, 2008
CHET HOEUNG 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 April 24, 2008, before U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy, CHET HOEUNG, a 35-year-old resident of Tacoma, Washington, appeared for sentencing. HOEUNG was sentenced to a term of:
- Prison: 37 months
- Special Assessment: $100
- Supervised Release: 3 years
HOEUNG was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to possession with the intent to distribute marijuana.
In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
On July 21, 2007, HOEUNG was a passenger in a vehicle that was stopped for speeding near Bozeman. HOEUNG was identified during the course of the traffic stop and eventually arrested for an alleged probation violation in California. The driver of the vehicle consented to a search of the car and officers discovered approximately 10 pounds of marijuana in the trunk.
When questioned, HOEUNG admitted ownership of the marijuana and stated that he had planned to deliver the drugs to an individual in Minnesota.
Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that HOEUNG will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, HOEUNG 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 Timothy J. Racicot prosecuted the case for the United States.
The investigation was a cooperative effort between the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Montana Highway Patrol, and the Missouri River Drug Task Force.
