CARLENE COBELL SENTENCED IN U.S. DISTRICT COURT

Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Great Falls, on May 14, 2007, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, CARLENE COBELL, a 33-year-old resident of Browning, appeared for sentencing. COBELL was sentenced to a term of:

Prison: 11 months
Special Assessment: $100
Supervised Release: 6 years
COBELL was sentenced in connection with her guilty plea to distribution of cocaine
within 1,000 feet of a public school.

In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:

A confidential informant would have testified that he/she met COBELL at a location in Browning on September 22, 2005, as part of an effort to purchase cocaine from COBELL. The informant would have testified that the site was located within 1,000 feet of the real property of a public school.

The informant would have also testified that COBELL sold him/her approximately one-quarter gram of purported cocaine.

Several law enforcement agents associated with the Blackfeet Safe Trails Task Force would have testified they monitored the transaction between the informant and COBELL.

A forensic chemist would have testified that the substance did in fact contain cocaine, a Schedule II controlled substance.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that COBELL will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, COBELL does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph E. Thaggard prosecuted the case for the United States.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Browning.

United States Attorney's Office for the District of Montana

P.O. Box 1478
Billings, MT 59103

CONTACT

Kurt Alme
First Assistant U.S. Attorney
(406) 247-4669