WEBSTER CITY COUPLE CHARGED IN METH CONSPIRACY
Contact: Peter Deegan
Lanny Brownfield, 51, and Laurie Rhinehart, 50, both from Webster City, Iowa, have been charged with one count of conspiring to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine and two counts of manufacturing and attempting to manufacture methamphetamine. The charges are contained in an Indictment filed December 14, 2010, in United States District Court in Sioux City.
The Indictment alleges that, from about July 2009 through December 2010 Brownfield and Rhinehart conspired to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine in the Hamilton County, Iowa area. The Indictment also alleges that on two occasions, in September and December 2010, Brownfield and Rhinehart manufactured and attempted to manufacture methamphetamine.
If convicted on the conspiracy charge, both Brownfield and Rhinehart face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of life imprisonment, a $10,000,000 fine, a special assessment of $100, and a term of supervised release following any imprisonment from five years to life. If convicted on each of the manufacturing charges, both Brownfield and Rhinehart face a mandatory minimum sentence of five years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, a special assessment of $200, and a term of supervised release following any imprisonment from four years to life.
Brownfield and Rhinehart were recently arrested on the charges and appeared April 25, 2011, in federal court in Sioux City and were released on bond. Brownfield and Rhinehart’s next appearance for trial is set for June 6, 2010.
As with any criminal case, a charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, Fort Dodge Police Department, and Webster City Police Department.
Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 10-3053.
