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Press Release
FARGO - U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on March 20, 2014, Al Owen Johnson, 45, and Cassandra Anne Kasowski, 39, both from Moorhead, Minn. were sentenced before U.S. District Judge Ralph R. Erickson to serve 18 years in prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of a controlled substances. Judge Erickson also ordered both of them to five years supervised release as well as paying $100 special assessment to the Crime Victims Fund.
The conspiracy involved the transportation of kilogram quantities of methamphetamine from Texas that were distributed in the Fargo-Moorhead area. Co-conspirators also obtained large quantities of marijuana from the Minneapolis area and distributed throughout the local area. Other members of the conspiracy already sentenced include Juan Cerna 18 ½ years in prison, Steven Schmidt, five years in prison, Brandon Elsenpeter and Jonathan Lewis three years’ supervised probation and Allison Hunter 24 months’ supervised probation. David Cerna Jr., pleaded guilty during trial and will be sentenced on April 14, at 10:00 a.m. U.S. District Court.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigations, Fargo and Moorhead Police Departments, Cass County Drug Task Force and Grand Forks Narcotics Task Force.
First Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Myers and Assistant U.S. Attorney Brett Shasky prosecuted the cases.