GREAT FALLS—A Heart Butte man who admitted providing a minor with methamphetamine on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation was sentenced today to 33 months in prison and to six years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Gary Allen Jimenez, 24, pleaded guilty in July to distribution of a controlled substance to a person under 21 years of age.

U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided.

The prosecution said in court records that in early 2017, FBI agents began investigating allegations that persons on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation were providing meth and other drugs to minors. A juvenile witness told law enforcement that Jimenez had provided her with meth on multiple occasions and that they smoked six or seven ounces together over a period of time. At the time Jimenez gave the juvenile meth, she was between 12 and 14 years of age.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Starnes prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI and Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services.

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GREAT FALLS – Gary Allen Jimenez, a Heart Butte resident, admitted drug distribution charges today for providing a minor with methamphetamine on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Jimenez, 24, pleaded guilty to distribution of a controlled substance to a person under 21. Jimenez faces a minimum mandatory one year to 40 years in prison, a $2 million fine and at least six years to life of supervised release.

U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided and set sentencing for Oct. 24. Jimenez is detained.

The prosecution said in court records that in early 2017, FBI agents began investigating allegations that persons on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation were providing meth and other drugs to minors. A juvenile girl was identified as being involved in such activity and communicated with potential meth dealers through Facebook. A search of the juvenile’s Facebook accounts identified Jimenez as being involved in illicit transactions with the juvenile, who at the time was between 12 and 14 years of age. The juvenile told law enforcement that he provided her with meth on multiple occasions and that they had smoked it together.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeff Starnes prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI and Blackfeet Tribal law enforcement.

The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that the following persons were arraigned this week before U.S. Magistrate judges and indictments handed down by the Grand Jury were unsealed. Indictments are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty:

Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan in Billings on Nov. 26 and pleading not guilty was:

CHARLES FABIEN IDHEN, 38, of Billings, on charges of prohibited person in possession of a firearm and possession of a stolen firearm. If convicted of the most serious crime, Idhen faces a maximum 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years supervised release. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Pacer case reference. 18-136.

Appearing on Nov. 27 and pleading not guilty was:

DARRELL LEE WHITEMAN, JR., 29, of Lame Deer, on voluntary manslaughter. If convicted, Whiteman faces a maximum 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years supervised release. The case was investigated by the FBI. Pacer case reference. 18-145.

Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Johnston on Nov. 27 in Great Falls and pleading not guilty was:

GARY ALLEN JIMENEZ, 24, Heart Butte, on charges of sexual abuse of a minor and distribution of a controlled substance to a person under 21. If convicted of the most serious crime, Jimenez faces a minimum mandatory one year to 40 years in prison, a $2 million fine and six years supervised release. The case was investigated by the Blackfeet Nation law enforcement and FBI. Pacer case reference. 18-91.

Appearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah C. Lynch on Thursday in Missoula and pleading not guilty was:

JOHN GREGORY ALEXANDER HERRIN, 27, Helena, on charges of interstate transportation of stolen property, money laundering and attempted witness tampering. If convicted of the most serious charge, Herrin faces a maximum 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years supervised release. The case was investigated by the FBI and Secret Service. Pacer case reference. 16-15.

If any of the above cases are of interest to your media organization and the community it serves, we encourage you to monitor the progress of the case regularly through the U.S. District Court calendar and the PACER system.

To establish a PACER account, which will allow you to review documents filed in the case, please go to, http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the district court’s calendar, please go to https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.

 

 

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