Three More Defendants Sentenced in St. Croix Tribal Drug Investigation
| U.S. Attorney’s Office October 13, 2009 |
Madison, WI—Stephen P. Sinnott, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Wisconsin, announced that the three more defendants were sentenced today in the St. Croix tribal drug investigation: (1) Diana Martin, 44, Webster, Wis.; (2) Margrette Cobb, 28, Cumberland, Wis., and; (3) Andrew Sonnenberg, 26, Red Lake, Minn. U.S. District Judge James T. Moody, a visiting judge from the Northern District of Indiana, sentenced the defendants for their role in distributing crack cocaine on St. Croix tribal lands from approximately January 2001 through September 2008.
Judge Moody imposed the following sentences:
- Diana Martin - nine years without parole ;
- Margrette Cobb - 13 years and four months without parole ; and
- Andrew Sonnenberg - 17 ½ years without parole.
In sentencing the defendants, Judge Moody that this very serious drug crime was exacerbated because the defendants sold “poison” to members of their own, close-knit community in northwestern Wisconsin. Eleven defendants have now been sentenced as a result of this investigation into drug dealing on St. Croix tribal lands. The previous defendants sentenced are set forth below:
| Name | Crime of Conviction | Sentence Imposed |
|---|---|---|
| Joseph Merrill | Distribution of Crack Cocaine | 4 years |
| Manley L. Williams | Distribution of Crack Cocaine | 8 years, 4 months |
| Christifer Sonnenberg | Distribution of Crack Cocaine | 5 years, 6 months |
| Jean Sonnenberg | Conspiracy to Distribute Crack Cocaine | 19 years, 7 months |
| Bruce Sonnenberg | Conspiracy to Distribute Crack Cocaine | 24 years, 4 months |
| Amanda Sonnenberg | Distribution of Crack Cocaine | 3 years, 10 months |
| George Rainey | Distribution of Crack Cocaine | 14 years |
| Bruce Rainey | Distribution of Crack Cocaine | 17 years, 6 months |
These three defendants, and other members of the conspiracy, worked together to obtain and distribute crack cocaine on St. Croix tribal lands from at least January 2001 through September 2008. Each of the members of the conspiracy, at various times, traveled with Jean Sonnenberg to obtain crack cocaine from her sources in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. The drugs were then sold to customers on tribal lands in northwestern Wisconsin. During the first several months of 2008, an individual working with law enforcement officers purchased crack cocaine from members of the conspiracy on several occasions. Each of these purchases was recorded by law enforcement officers.
Acting United States Attorney Sinnott stated that today’s sentencings were the result of a long-term investigation being conducted by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation; Federal Bureau of Investigation; St. Croix Tribal Police Department; Rice Lake Police Department; Barron County Sheriff's Department; Burnett County Sheriff's Department; Polk County Sheriff's Department; Native American Drug & Gang Initiative; and Wisconsin State Patrol. Sinnott stated that the investigation is continuing and additional indictments and arrests are expected.
The prosecution of these cases have been handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney John W. Vaudreuil.