Jason Paul Isbell Sentenced in U.S. District Court
The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Helena, on December 14, 2011, before Senior U.S. District Judge Charles C. Lovell, JASON PAUL ISBELL, a 40-year-old resident of Cascade, appeared for sentencing. ISBELL was sentenced to a term of:
Prison: 6 months
Special Assessment: $ 100
Restitution: $15,582
Supervised Release: 3 years
ISBELL was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to theft of federal property.
In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl E. Rostad, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
Between June 2006 and April 2011, ISBELL applied for and received Food Stamp and SNAP benefits that were predicated and calculated on his representations that he had little or no income, had a certain household composition, and had certain out-of-pocket living expenses. During that period, ISBELL had unreported income of approximately $60,000, and received between $12,000 and $16,500 in USDA food stamp and SNAP benefits to which he was not entitled. ISBELL made false statements as to his income, his household composition, and his living expenses. ISBELL also submitted false and fraudulent documents to bolster his false statements. Once he came under investigation, he attempted to suppress cooperation with law enforcement through intimidation or promises of reward to two witnesses.
The false statements as to income and household composition would have affected his eligibility for benefits and, if the truth had been known, would have either disqualified him entirely or reduced the amount he would have received.
Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that ISBELL will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, ISBELL 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 U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General.
