The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Missoula, on June 29, 2011, before U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy, MICHAEL ALLEN GARDIPEE, a 36-year-old resident of Butte, appeared for sentencing. GARDIPEE was sentenced to a term of:

Prison: 188 months

Special Assessment: $100

Supervised Release: 10 years

GARDIPEE was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara J. Elliott, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:

Beginning in approximately June of 2009, and continuing through October 2010, GARDIPEE conspired to distribute more than 500 grams of methamphetamine throughout Montana.

A Confidential Source (CS #1) would have testified that s/he distributed methamphetamine to GARDIPEE and others and, that in October 2009, s/he and GARDIPEE sold four ounces of methamphetamine in Butte.

CS #2 would have testified that during the summer of 2009 s/he sold approximately 12 ounces of methamphetamine to GARDIPEE.

CS #3 would have testified that s/he purchased methamphetamine in one-eighth of an ounce quantities from GARDIPEE.

CS #4 would have testified that during the summer 2009 s/he purchased approximately three to five ounces of methamphetamine from GARDIPEE.

On October 6, 2010, when interviewed, GARDIPEE estimated that he had distributed between five and ten pounds of methamphetamine between January 2009 and October 2010 in and around Butte.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that GARDIPEE will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, GARDIPEE does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.

The investigation was a cooperative effort between U.S. Homeland Security Investigations and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

 

 

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