Omaha Woman Sentenced for Drug Conspiracy

United States Attorney Steven A. Russell announced that Victoria Bindas, 43, of Omaha, Nebraska, was sentenced on April 6, 2023, by United States District Judge Brian C. Buescher for conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine.  Bindas received a sentence of 121 months’ imprisonment with a five-year term of supervised release to follow. There is no parole in the federal system. 

Beginning in mid-2018, a Drug Enforcement Administration task force started investigating the methamphetamine distribution operation of David Duane Short, based out of the Omaha, Nebraska, metro area.   This investigation included a court ordered Title III interception of phone calls and text messages, allowing agents to identify the scope of the conspiracy and its’ members.  Bindas was intercepted on numerous occasions contacting Short and was obtaining mutli-ounce quantities of methamphetamine.  These deals between Short and Bindas were monitored by law enforcement.  Bindas was ultimately held responsible for her in buying at least 1200 grams of methamphetamine from Short to distribute.   

In addition to Bindas, several members of this multi-state drug trafficking organization have now been sentenced.  Edward Glen Summers (Council Bluffs) was sentenced to 180 months’ imprisonment, Kaden Henry (Wisner, Nebraska) was sentenced to 168 months’ imprisonment, Rose Ellen Points (Council Bluffs) was sentenced to 120 months’ imprisonment, Chelsea Leigh Short (Omaha) was sentenced to 132 months’ imprisonment, Christian Gonzalez-Gardea (El Paso, Texas) was sentenced to 135 months’ imprisonment, Rex Lee Kmiecik (Omaha) was sentenced to 132 months’ imprisonment, Robert Root (Council Bluffs) was sentenced to 144 months’ imprisonment, and David Duane Short (Omaha) was sentenced to 210 months’ imprisonment.

This effort was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, Omaha Police Department, Nebraska State Patrol, IRS’s Criminal Investigations, and the Pottawattamie County (Iowa) Sheriff’s Office.