Stearns County Man Sentenced to More Than 21 Years for Leading a Meth Trafficking Conspiracy While Incarcerated

MINNEAPOLIS – A Stearns County man was sentenced to 262 months followed by five years of supervised release for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine while incarcerated, announced U.S. Attorney Andrew M. Luger.

According to the evidence presented at his trial, in spring 2019, Robert Edward Maloney, Jr., 39, while incarcerated in a Minnesota state prison, coordinated with others outside the prison to sell methamphetamine. While Maloney was incarcerated, he communicated with his co-conspirators via jail calls. Law enforcement agents obtained recordings of Maloney’s jail calls, which revealed Maloney’s direction and coordination, including arranging meetings and discussing methamphetamine prices and quantities. Maloney also obstructed justice by threatening a witness.

Maloney was sentenced yesterday before Senior Judge David S. Doty. On April 8, 2022, after a four-day jury trial, Maloney was found guilty of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine.

This case was the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the Cannon River Drug & Violent Offender Task Force, the Paul Bunyan Drug Task Force, and the Minnesota Department of Corrections.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bradley M. Endicott and Joseph S. Teirab.