Mark Stephen Sigler and Valerie Danielle Sigler Sentenced in U.S. District Court
The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Missoula, on June 21, 2012, before U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy, MARK STEPHEN SIGLER, age 60, and VALERIE DANIELLE SIGLER, age 38, residents of Bozeman, appeared for sentencing.
MARK SIGLER received the following sentence:
Home Arrest: 6 months
Special Assessment: $100
Forfeiture: $450,000 money judgment
Supervised Release: 4 years
VALERIE SIGLER received the following sentence:
Home Arrest: 1 year
Special Assessment: $100
Forfeiture: $450,000 money judgment
Supervised Release: 5 years
They were sentenced in connection with their guilty pleas to conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute marijuana.
In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph E. Thaggard, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
Big Sky Patient Care was owned and operated by MARK and VALERIE SIGLER.
In late 2010, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives began to investigate the Defendant for trafficking in marijuana in violation of federal law.
As part of the investigation, the agents conducting the investigation learned that the the SIGLERS were distributing marijuana at locations in Dillon, Big Sky, and Bozeman under the auspices of Big Sky Patient Care;
On February 19, 2011, a DEA agent observed marijuana packaged for distribution at the Big Sky Patient Care facility in Dillon.
On February 22, 2011, an agent observed numerous individuals coming and going from the Big Sky Patient Care facility in Bozeman. Based on his training and experience, he knew such a pattern of people visiting a place for short periods of time was consistent with drug trafficking activity.
On March 2, 2011, undercover DEA agents visited the Big Sky Patient Care facility in Big Sky. They observed that the facility had marijuana packaged for sale and advertised marijuana for sale.
On March 14, 2011, federal law enforcement agents searched the Big Sky Patient Care facilities in Bozeman, Dillon, and Big Sky. Between the three locations, the agents seized marijuana packaged for sale and discovered approximately 234 marijuana plants under cultivation.
The agents also seized numerous business records maintained by the SIGLERS. The business records confirmed the SIGLERS, in fact, agreed with one another to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute in excess of 100 kilograms of marijuana and 100 marijuana plants.
The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Criminal Investigation Division of the Internal Revenue Service, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Montana Department of Criminal Investigation.
