FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, July 18, 2008
JAMES OSBORNE AND ELAINE BESTON 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 Great Falls, on July 18, 2008, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, JAMES OSBORNE, age 34, and ELAINE BESTON, age 33, residents of Great Falls, appeared for sentencing.
OSBORNE was sentenced to a term of:
- Prison: 120 months
- Special Assessment: $100
- Supervised Release: 5 years
BESTON was sentenced to a term of:
- Prison: 192 months
- Special Assessment: $100
- Supervised Release: 10 years
They were sentenced in connection with their guilty pleas to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine.
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 co-conspirator 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.
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 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.
