Don Edward Lyle Sentenced In U.S. District Court

The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls, on September 24, 2013, before Chief U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen, DON EDWARD LYLE, a 53-year-old resident of Troy, was sentenced to a term of:

• ison: 36 months

• ecial Assessment: $100

• pervised Release: 5 years

LYLE was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

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

In early April 2013, undercover law enforcement agents and a confidential informant (CI) began to buy methamphetamine from Jesus Heriberto Ramirez-Soto in Troy.

During the evening of April 5, 2013, the CI was with Ramirez and LYLE at Ramirez's home in Troy. The CI mentioned to Ramirez and LYLE that he had a friend who wanted to purchase methamphetamine.

The next day, on April 6, 2013, Ramirez called the CI and said that LYLE would be traveling to Kalispell with the methamphetamine. Later that evening, undercover agents met with LYLE in Kalispell. Stuart Morgan Pattie also accompanied LYLE on the methamphetamine deal. The agents paid LYLE $5,400 for three ounces of methamphetamine and received an additional ounce from LYLE with the understanding that the agents still owed LYLE for the last ounce.

On April 11, 2013, the CI placed a call to Ramirez to set up another methamphetamine deal. Ramirez told the CI that he could provide the CI's friends with pounds of methamphetamine. The agents called Ramirez and agreed to meet on Saturday, April 13, 2013, in Havre to buy methamphetamine. Ramirez agreed to sell the agents two pounds of methamphetamine for $50,000.

That afternoon, Ramirez met an agent in a parking lot and said his friends would be there shortly. Ramirez then discussed possible future drug deals and left the parking lot. A half hour later, LYLE and Pattie pulled up next to the agent. Pattie got out of the car and got into the agent's car with the methamphetamine wrapped in a shirt. Agents then arrested Ramirez, Pattie, and LYLE. Agents recovered more than 500 grams of a substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine.

Ramirez and Pattie pled guilty to federal charges.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that he will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, he 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 a cooperative effort between the U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations and the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation.