Mountain Home Man Sentenced for Distributing Methamphetamine

BOISE—Rudolfo Reyes, 25, of Mountain Home, Idaho, was sentenced in United States District Court in Boise today to 52 months in prison for distributing methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill also ordered Reyes to serve three years of supervised release following his release from prison. He pled guilty to the charge on June 19, 2012.

According to the plea agreement, on July 20, 2010, Reyes, a documented member of the Southside (Sureño) street gang, sold approximately 5.2 grams of methamphetamine for $470 at a residence in Boise. Reyes admitted that he knew the substance he sold was methamphetamine and that he intentionally distributed it. The Drug Enforcement Administration’s Western Laboratory in San Francisco, California tested the substance and confirmed that it contained methamphetamine.

“Methamphetamine trafficking, particularly by gang members, is a serious crime that demands a serious response from law enforcement, prosecutors, and courts,” said Olson. “Mr. Reyes will spend more than four years in federal prison for bringing this horribly addictive drug to our community. I commend the multi-agency law enforcement work that produced justice in this case.”

The investigation included the cooperative law enforcement efforts of the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force, which is comprised of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Ada County Sheriff’s Office, the Boise Police Department, the Caldwell Police Department, the Canyon County Sheriff’s Office, the Fruitland Police Department, the Idaho Department of Correction, the Malheur County Sheriff’s Office, the Meridian Police Department, the Nampa Police Department, the Nyssa Police Department, the Ontario (Oregon) Police Department, the Canyon County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Reyes was prosecuted by the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney hired by the Treasure Valley Partnership and the State of Idaho to address gang crimes. The Treasure Valley Partnership is comprised of a group of elected officials in southwest Idaho dedicated to regional coordination, cooperation, and collaboration on creating coherent regional growth. For more information, visit treasurevalleypartners.org.

Four Members of Drug Trafficking Ring Sentenced

POCATELLO — Four members of a large scale drug trafficking conspiracy were sentenced to federal prison this week, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced today. The three men and one woman appeared before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Pocatello.

Julio Medellin–Pena, 47, of Burley, was sentenced on Tuesday to 126 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. Medellin–Pena pleaded guilty in March 2011.

Veronica Cruz–Jimenz, 34, a Mexican national, was sentenced on Monday to 120 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release. On April 5, 2011, Cruz–Jimenez and Andres Collado–Rojas, 20, also a Mexican national, were convicted by a federal jury of conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of actual methamphetamine between October 2009 and August 2010. Collado–Rojas was sentenced on July 18 to 151 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release.

Diego Vega–Corona, 40, a Mexican national, was sentenced on Monday to 78 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Vega–Corona will be required to serve three years of supervised release after his prison term. He pleaded guilty to the charge in May 2011. As part of his plea, Vega-Corona forfeited cash proceeds of at least $2,000.

Luis Angel Cruz–Jimenez, 25, a Mexican national, was sentenced today to 37 months in prison for possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Cruz–Jimenez will also be required to serve three years of supervised release. He pled guilty on May 3. Sentenced on July 8 on related drug charges were Mexican nationals Julio Jimenez–Morales, 30, to 108 months in prison, and Jose Penaloza–Paramo, 30, to 240 months in prison. Both men will be required to serve five years of supervised release following their prison term. Jimenez–Morales was ordered to forfeit $10,000; Penaloza-Paramo, $39,000.

The defendants were charged in a 34–count superseding indictment filed in July 2010. According to plea agreements and trial testimony, between October 2009 and August 2010, the co–conspirators, led by Jose Penaloza–Paramo, participated in a drug trafficking organization responsible for the distribution of multiple pounds of methamphetamine in Ada, Canyon, Bannock and Franklin counties.

"Methamphetamine trafficking is a serious problem that demands a serious response from law enforcement, prosecutors and the courts," said Olson. "These defendants, appropriately, will pay a heavy price for bringing this dangerously addictive drug to Idaho communities. State and federal law enforcement officers throughout Idaho will work together to ensure that drug traffickers are caught, prosecuted and convicted."

The case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Idaho State Police, Canyon County Sheriff’s Office, Ada County Sheriff’s Office, Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).

The investigation was the result of a joint investigation of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF). The OCDETF program is a federal multi–agency, multi–jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.

Seventeen Years on the Run Over for Boston Fugitive

FBI and U.S. Marshals Service Arrest Enrico Ponzo in Idaho

After nearly two decades on the run, 42-year-old Enrico Ponzo, a fugitive wanted by the FBI in Boston for conspiracy to commit murder, RICO, firearms, and other violations in Massachusetts, was arrested this week in Idaho.

FBI special agents assigned to the Salt Lake City Division’s Boise office worked in collaboration with the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) Fugitive Task Force to develop information leading to Ponzo’s arrest. On Monday, February 7, 2011, the USMS Fugitive Task Force arrested Ponzo without incident near his home in Marsing, Idaho. On Tuesday, February 8, 2011, FBI special agents and task force members served a federal search warrant at Ponzo’s home to recover evidence.

According to the wanted poster on the FBI Boston Division’s website, (http://www.fbi.gov/wanted/cei/enrico-ponzo/view), Ponzo was arrested in 1994 on cocaine and drug charges. He failed to appear in court and a local arrest warrant was issued, followed by a federal arrest warrant. In 1996, he was charged with aggravated assault in Everett, Massachusetts, and later indicted by a federal grand jury on multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit murder. Ponzo allegedly was involved in the New England La Cosa Nostra in the late 1980s. It is further alleged that he conspired to murder and attempted to murder rival faction members.

Ponzo’s arrest is the result of hard work by many law enforcement agencies. The FBI would like to thank the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force in Idaho, which includes the Ada and Canyon County Sheriff’s Offices and the Nampa Police Department. The FBI also appreciates the assistance of the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crime Task Force and ATF. The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and FBI agents in both Idaho and Massachusetts continue to work together on this matter.

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