Mark Delano Nunn Sentenced in U.S. District Court
The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls, on August 25, 2011, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, MARK DELANO NUNN, a 41-year-old resident of Great Falls, appeared for sentencing. NUNN was sentenced to a term of:
Prison: 12 months
Special Assessment: $100
Supervised Release: 3 years
NUNN was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to distribution of heroin.
In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph E. Thaggard, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
In October 2009, NUNN and his wife, Margaret Nunn, met "John Doe." In January 2010, "John Doe" began to provide Margaret with heroin for distribution. Margaret then began to distribute the heroin to individuals in the Great Falls area.
In approximately March 2010, law enforcement learned of Margaret's activities. Thereafter, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Great Falls Police Department and the Central Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force made controlled purchases of heroin from her.
On March 17, 2010, an informant called Margaret about purchasing 2 bindles (1/4 gram each) of heroin. Margaret stated she was not at home but that the informant could pick up the heroin from her husband. The informant met NUNN at his residence, as Margaret had instructed the informant, and purchased two bindles of heroin from NUNN for $160.
A chemist analyzed all of the heroin obtained during the controlled purchases and found the substances in question did, in fact, consist of a substance or mixture containing a detectable amount of heroin, a Schedule I controlled substance.
On May 20, 2010, NUNN was interviewed and admitted that "John Doe" fronted heroin to Margaret and that he helped distribute some of the heroin.
Margaret Nunn pled guilty to federal charges and has been sentenced.
Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that NUNN will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, NUNN does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.
The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Drug Enforcement Administration, U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, the Great Falls Police Department and the Central Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force.
