Anchorage, Alaska – United States Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today, February 25, 2010, that Hallie Dean McGinnis, a resident of Anchorage, Alaska, was sentenced in federal court to one year of home confinement in addition to the 2 ½ months custody he has already served following his plea of guilty to a charge of maintaining a drug-involved premise.

Chief United States District Court Judge Ralph R. Beistline imposed the sentence on McGinnis, age 66.

Paragraph Three.

According to information presented to the court by Special Assistant United States Attorney Christine M. Thoreson, McGinnis, the owner of P.J.’s nightclub located in Spenard, used the nightclub as a front to distribute cocaine – through his employees and himself. In addition to the cocaine purchased by ATF from McGinnis and his employees, agents recovered 75.6 grams of cocaine along with drug paraphernalia from P.J.’s during the execution of a search warrant. As part of his sentence, McGinnis agreed to the forfeiture of both P.J.’s nightclub and the associated liquor license.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case. The case was prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Christine Thoreson, who is one of two prosecutors in the U.S. Attorney’s office who are on loan from the Municipality of Anchorage as a result of the Anti-Gang and Youth Violence federal grant.

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