Armed meth dealer from Livingston sentenced to 10 years in prison

BILLINGS  — A Livingston man who admitted to distributing methamphetamine in Park and Gallatin counties while possessing a firearm was sentenced today to 10 years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.

Ryan King Steady, 41, pleaded guilty in June 2022 to distribution of meth and to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters presided.

The government alleged in court documents that in January 2021, Livingston Police Department officers were dispatched to Steady’s residence after receiving a call that a woman was being held against her will and engaging in sex trafficking. When officers arrived, they found a 9mm semi-automatic pistol with two magazines, ammunition and a holster in Steady’s bedroom. Law enforcement further learned that Steady had several people moving meth for him. Law enforcement also learned that Steady would leave his residence to sell meth and that he sold meth from his home. In April 2021, an officer with the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office conducted a traffic stop of Steady. Steady was on felony probation, and his supervising officer requested a search of his vehicle. Officers located gram quantities of meth, a digital scale, 55 unused clear plastic baggies, and a 12-gauge sawed-off shotgun.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Karla E. Painter prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Park County Sheriff’s Office, Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office and Montana Probation and Parole.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.

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