Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Missoula, on June 5, 2008, before U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy, EDMUND PAUL VAISVILAS, a 34-year-old resident of White Sulphur Springs, appeared for sentencing. VAISVILAS was sentenced to a term of:

• Prison: 168 months, consecutive to another sentence
• Special Assessment: $100
• Supervised Release: 10 years

VAISVILAS was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

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

Between April of 2006, and continuing through July of 2007, VAISVILAS, Marvin Mullen, and Marlena Harringer were involved in a conspiracy with several other individuals to distribute over 500 grams of methamphetamine in Meagher, Mineral, Lewis and Clark, and Gallatin counties.

Mullen and Harringer pled guilty to federal charges and have been sentenced.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that VAISVILAS will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, VAISVILAS 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 Paulette L. Stewart prosecuted the case for the United States.

The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Bozeman and Helena Missouri River Drug Task Force, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Meagher County Sheriff's Office, the Mineral County Sheriff's Office, the Montana Highway Patrol, and the Siskiyou County Sheriff's Office in California.