The United States Attorney's Office announced that on July 27, 2011, in Billings, after a federal district court trial before Chief U.S. District Judge Richard F. Cebull, JOSEPH DEAN LIRA, a 39-year-old resident of Billings, was found guilty of possession with the intent to distribute of methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime or in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime. Sentencing is set for October 26, 2011. He is currently detained.

Assistant U.S. Attorney James E. Seykora prosecuted the case for the United States.

LIRA faces possible penalties of a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and could be sentenced to life, a $4,000,000 fine and at least 5 years supervised release. In addition, LIRA faces an additional mandatory five year imprisonment, consecutive to any other sentence, for the use or possession of a firearm during a drug-trafficking crime or in furtherance of a drug-trafficking crime.

The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Billings Big Sky Safe Streets Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

 

 

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