Anchorage, Alaska – U.S. Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced that James Pascua Jr. and Joshua Yang, both residents of Anchorage, Alaska, have been sentenced in federal court in Anchorage for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.

Chief U.S. District Court Judge Ralph R. Beistline sentenced Joshua Yang, 24, to 133 months in prison. Earlier this summer, James Pascua Jr. was sentenced to 92 months in prison.

According to Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin White Bradley, who prosecuted the case, Pascua and Yang conspired to distribute pure methamphetamine to a buyer on September 17, 2009, and again on October 6, 2009. The total amount of pure methamphetamine distributed was 14.2 grams. After a grand jury returned an indictment charging drug conspiracy and distribution of methamphetamine, law enforcement officers arrested Pascua and Yang. At the time of his arrest, Yang had 52.2 grams of pure methamphetamine and a loaded .45 caliber pistol in his possession.

In fashioning a sentence, the Court noted the serious nature of the crime, along with a need to protect the public and to deter similar criminal behavior. Yang received an enhanced sentence due to the possession of additional methamphetamine along with the loaded firearm.

Ms. Loeffler commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Safe Streets Task Force and the Anchorage Police Department for the investigation leading to the successful prosecution of Pascua and Yang. SAUSA Bradley is a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office who is funded by the Municipality of Anchorage for the purpose of prosecuting gang-related and violent crime cases.

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