FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, April 03, 2008
DONALD McKENRICK PLEADS GUILTY IN U.S. FEDERAL COURT
Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Great Falls on April 2, 2008, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, DONALD McKENRICK, a 31-year-old resident of Great Falls, pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. Sentencing is set for July 14, 2008. He is currently detained.
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 coconspirator 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 James Osborne and his girlfriend, Elaine Beston. Another was Tiffany King. King and A.B., in turn, distributed methamphetamine to McKENRICK, who distributed it to others in Great Falls. King or A.B. provided the methamphetamine to McKENRICK during the period of late 2005 until the spring of 2006.
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.
On December 3, 2007, the authorities interviewed McKENRICK. He stated that he obtained methamphetamine from A.B. or King over a six month to one year time period in 2005 and 2006. He stated that, on average, he would obtain at least one ounce of methamphetamine every week from A.B. or King during a six month period of time. McKENRICK admitted that he, in turn, distributed that methamphetamine to others.
King, Osborne and Beston pled guilty to federal charges and are awaiting sentencing.
McKENRICK faces possible penalties of a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison and could be sentenced to life, a $8,000,000 fine and 10 years supervised release.
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.
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A copy of the Offer of Proof can be obtained by contacting Sally Frank at (406) 247-4638.
