BOISE – Richard Arnold Male, 26, of Boise, pleaded guilty today in United States District Court to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.

According to the plea agreement, on June 17, 2010, a Boise Police officer observed Male conducting what appeared to be the sale of a controlled substance in the parking lot of a Fred Meyer store. Male was contacted by police shortly thereafter, sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle. During a lawful search of the vehicle, officers found a loaded Ruger .380 semiautomatic pistol under the front passenger seat.

Male admitted to law enforcement officers to having sold approximately 1.4 grams of methamphetamine to another person for $120, before police contacted him. Male also admitted that he possessed on his person the Ruger pistol found in the vehicle when he sold the methamphetamine. In court, Male admitted that he carried the handgun during the drug transaction for his protection.

The charge of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime carries a mandatory minimum of five years with the possibility of life in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and five years supervised release.

Sentencing is set for August 27, 2012, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Boise.

The case was investigated by the Boise Police Department and the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force. Male is being 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 southeast Idaho dedicated to regional coordination, cooperation, and collaboration on creating coherent regional growth. For more information, visit www.treasurevalleypartners.org.