Five Pled Guilty, Two Remain to be Sentenced

BOISE – The third person in a Canyon County meth trafficking conspiracy, Armando Jason Saltzer, 35, of Nampa, Idaho, has been sentenced in federal court in Boise, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. Saltzer was sentenced yesterday by U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge to 160 months in prison followed by ten years of supervised release for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. He was ordered to forfeit assets derived from the offense. Saltzer pleaded guilty to the charge on April 10, 2012.

Two co-conspirators were sentenced in April. Daniel Pena, of Caldwell, Idaho, was sentenced to 156 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and discharge of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Monica Martinez, of Wilder, Idaho, was sentenced to 60 months for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Both agreed to forfeit assets derived from proceeds of the drug trafficking crime.

The remaining defendants, Shane Kenneth Brizendine 37, of Wilder, and Mario Bautista, a/k/a “Gordo,” 36, of Bell Gardens, California, will be sentenced on July 11 and August 6, respectively. They each face a minimum term of ten years in prison, up to five years of supervised release, and a maximum fine of $10 million. Bautista, who also pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, also faces a minimum term of ten years in prison to run consecutive to the sentence imposed on the drug conspiracy charge.

According to court records, the defendants admitted they conspired to distribute methamphetamine in the Treasure Valley. Saltzer has previously been convicted of six prior felonies and is currently service a state prison sentence. Judge Lodge ordered that his 160 month sentence run partially consecutive to his outstanding state sentence. Pena also admitted to committing a drive-by shooting in August 2011, in which he fired several shots into a residence belonging to co-defendant Martinez.

The case was investigated by the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force, one of 160 Safe Streets task forces nationwide in which local, state and federal law enforcement agencies combine their resources and expertise to address gangs and other public safety issues across traditional jurisdictional boundaries throughout the Treasure Valley.