Perry County Woman Sentenced For Methamphetamine Conspiracy

On February 12, 2014, Julie A. Keller, a/k/a Julie Smith and Julie Keller-Smith, 35, of Pinckneyville, Illinois, was sentenced in United States District Court in Benton on a charge of conspiracy to manufacture methamphetamine, announced Stephen R. Wigginton, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois.

Keller, who had previously pled guilty to the methamphetamine offense, was sentenced to 97 months in prison, to be followed by 3 years of supervised release, and fined $200. The offense occurred between 2010 and November 2012, in Jackson and Randolph Counties. Evidence at the plea and sentencing hearings established that Keller supplied pseudoephedrine to others for use in the manufacture of methamphetamine. At sentencing, the district court found that Keller was responsible for unlawfully possessing more than 100 grams of pseudoephedrine.

The ongoing investigation is being conducted by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, Randolph County Sheriff’s Office, Perry County Sheriff’s Office, Murphysboro Police Department, and Drug Enforcement Administration.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda A. Robertson.