LEHIGH MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO METH CONSPIRACY
Contact: Peter Deegan
A man who conspired to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine pled guilty May 23, 2011, in federal court in Sioux City.
Matthew Mueller, 27, from Lehigh, Iowa, was convicted of one count of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute methamphetamine and one count of manufacture and attempt to manufacture methamphetamine.
At the plea hearing, Mueller admitted his involvement in a conspiracy from about January 2010 through November 2010 that manufactured and distributed methamphetamine in the Webster County area. Mueller admitted that during the course of this conspiracy, he manufactured more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, a part of which he distributed to others. On March 2, 2010, law enforcement officers searched a residence where Mueller was found, seized a number of varied prescription pills, more than 22 grams of methamphetamine, and other items consistent with the manufacture of methamphetamine.
Sentencing before United States District Court Judge Mark W. Bennett will be set after a presentence report is prepared. Mueller remains in custody of the United States Marshal pending sentencing. On the conspiracy conviction, Mueller faces 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 period of supervised release from 5 years to life following any imprisonment. On the manufacturing conviction, Mueller faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years’ imprisonment and a possible maximum sentence of 40 years’ imprisonment, a $5,000,000 fine, a special assessment of $100, and a period of supervised release from 4 years to life following any imprisonment.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa Department of Criminal Investigations, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, and Fort Dodge Police Department.
Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 10-3047.
