ZACHARY SYLVESTER WILLIS PLEADS GUILTY IN U.S. FEDERAL COURT

Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Missoula on September 30, 2008, before U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy, ZACHARY SYLVESTER WILLIS, a 27-year-old resident of Missoula, pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine and oxycontin. Sentencing is set for January 29, 2009. He is currently released on special conditions.

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

Between May of 2006 through April of 2007, WILLIS received ounce quantities of cocaine from Steven James Olsen for distribution in the Bozeman area. WILLIS also received oxycontin tablets - through the mail from an out-of-state source - for distribution in the Bozeman area.

Olsen supplied WILLIS with approximately seven ounces of cocaine on three separate occasions. The first transaction involved one ounce of cocaine. The second transaction involved four ounces, and the third deal was for two ounces. WILLIS did not pay Olsen for the four-ounce deal because most of that cocaine was seized by law enforcement during a search of an apartment where WILLIS lived with his girlfriend. On February 14, 2007, law enforcement had responded to WILLIS' apartment in Bozeman concerning an unrelated incident. During the investigation into that incident, the officers found and seized approximately 93 grams (about 3 ounces) of cocaine. That cocaine had been supplied to WILLIS by Olsen.

WILLIS also possessed and distributed oxycontin tablets in the Bozeman area. Olsen witnessed WILLIS trade 45 oxy pills to an individual in exchange for a television set in late April or early May of 2006. This individual ingested several of the pills and sold the others. On a later occasion, Olsen purchased four oxycontin tablets from WILLIS for another individual.

Olsen pled guilty to federal charges and has been sentenced.

WILLIS faces possible penalties of 20 years in prison, a $1,000,000 fine and 3 years supervised release.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Racicot prosecuted the case for the United States.

The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Missouri River Drug Task Force.