The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Billings, on August 10, 2011, before Senior U.S. District Judge Jack D. Shanstrom, TONI LYNN ARCOREN, a 30-year-old resident of South Dakota, appeared for sentencing. ARCOREN was sentenced to a term of:

Prison: 78 months

Special Assessment: $100

Supervised Release: 5 years

ARCOREN was sentenced in connection with her guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

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

On three separate occasions, once in June 2010, and twice in August 2010, all on the Crow Indian Reservation, a confidential source for the Bureau of Indian Affairs purchased meth from ARCOREN. The three sales were for .15 grams of methamphetamine, .095 grams of methamphetamine, and .53 grams of methamphetamine.

When ARCOREN was interviewed, she admitted that she had been distributing methamphetamine for an extended period of time. She identified suppliers and customers. ARCOREN had a number of suppliers and has dealt substantial quantities of methamphetamine on the Crow Indian Reservation. Specifically, she admitted that from one supplier she purchased 1/2 gram quantities of methamphetamine three to four days a week. From another supplier, she purchased $30 and $60 bindles of methamphetamine on at least fifty occasions.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that ARCOREN will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, ARCOREN 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 conducted by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

 

 

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