Francisco Calvillo-rodriguez Pleads Guilty in U.S. Federal Court
Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Missoula on August 12, 2009, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah C. Lynch, FRANCISCO CALVILLO-RODRIGUEZ, a 22-year-old resident of Belgrade, pled guilty to distribution of cocaine and illegal re-entry of a previously deported alien. Sentencing is set for November 19, 2009. He is currently detained.
In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Racicot, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
On March 31, 2009, officers from the Missouri River Drug Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration monitored a controlled purchase of 1.5 ounces of cocaine from CALVILLO-RODRIGUEZ for $3,000. The deal was arranged as part of an ongoing investigation into a cocaine-trafficking organization in the Bozeman area. The investigating officers monitored the sale by placing a body wire on a confidential informant. The informant drove to a trailer house in Gallatin County, met CALVILLO-RODRIGUEZ, counted out the money, and received the cocaine. The substance was analyzed and found to contain cocaine and weighed 41.5 grams.
Following the drug deal on March 31, 2009, agents with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement attempted to identify CALVILLO-RODRIGUEZ and determine whether he was legally in the United States. They discovered that he is a citizen of Mexico and that he was deported from the United States on January 7, 2008, through Nogales, Arizona. There is no evidence in CALVILLO-RODRIGUEZ'S immigration file that he applied for or received permission to reenter the United States following his 2008 removal.
CALVILLO-RODRIGUEZ faces possible penalties of 20 years in prison, a $1,000,000 fine and 3 years supervised release.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Racicot prosecuted the case for the United States.
The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Missouri River Drug Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. # # # #
A copy of the Offer of Proof can be obtained by contacting Sally Frank at (406) 247-4638.
