Jonathan Rodriguez Sentenced in U.S. District Court

May 27, 2010 - The United States Attorney’s Office announced that during a federal court session in Billings, on May 27, 2010, before Chief U.S. District Judge Richard F. Cebull, JONATHAN RODRIGUEZ, a 24-year-old resident of Billings, appeared for sentencing. RODRIGUEZ was sentenced to a term of:

• Prison: 105 months

• Special Assessment: $100

• Supervised Release: Five years

• RODRIGUEZ was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney James E. Seykora, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:

On July 29, 2009, members of the FBI Big Sky Safe Streets Task Force executed a search warrant at RODRIGUEZ’s Billings residence after receiving information that he had a large amount of methamphetamine at his residence. Probation officers had responded and located several ounces of suspected methamphetamine before summoning the task force.

A subsequent search yielded 617 grams of suspected methamphetamine, which field tested positive. DEA lab results show the amount to be 585.4 grams of a mixture of meth or 159.3 grams of actual methamphetamine.

When interviewed, RODRIGUEZ admitted to the following:

He began obtaining and distributing methamphetamine in early January of 2009.

Between January 2009 and July 29, 2009, he estimated that he received and re-distributed approximately nine to ten pounds of methamphetamine to various subjects in Billings.

He directed other people, some of whom were juveniles, to wire money to his drug sources in Arizona as payment for drugs. RODRIGUEZ stated he provided them with the money to wire.

The day he was arrested (July 29, 2009), he received approximately one and a half pounds of methamphetamine for re-distribution.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, the “truth in sentencing” guidelines mandate that RODRIGUEZ will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, RODRIGUEZ does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for “good behavior.” However, this reduction will not exceed 15 percent of the overall sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the FBI’s Big Sky Safe Streets Task Force and Probation and Parole.