Frank Xavier Manyen and Julie Ann Rozell Plead Guilty in U.S. Federal Court

The United States Attorney’s Office announced that during a federal court session in Billings, on February 5, 2013, before Chief U.S. District Judge Richard F. Cebull, Frank Xavier Manyen, a 32-year-old resident of Laurel, and Julie Ann Rozell, a 38-year-old resident of Billings, pled guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribution of methamphetamine. Sentencing has been set for May 8, 2013. They are currently detained.

In an offer of proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica T. Fehr, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:

In October of 2010, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force (BSSSTF) received information about a large-scale methamphetamine distribution organization operating in Yellowstone County.

In the spring of 2011, law enforcement began performing electronic surveillance on C.M., an individual living in Billings. Investigators discovered that C.M., D.M., and A.H. began supplying the larger methamphetamine organization in late 2010 with methamphetamine after the prior source of supply had a run in with law enforcement. C.M., D.M., and A.H. had several distributors that sold the methamphetamine for the organization. One of the distributors was Rozell. Rozell admitted to distributing approximately four pounds of methamphetamine for the organization. One of her distributors was Manyen.

During the investigation law enforcement learned that Manyen was a distributor of methamphetamine for Rozell from approximately March 2011 and continuing thereafter until late January 2012. Manyen worked with another individual to distribute the methamphetamine obtained from Rozell—an individual named H.M. Manyen and H.M. together distributed the methamphetamine they obtained from Rozell in the greater Billings area. Manyen and H.M. obtained approximately 700 grams of methamphetamine from Rozell, which they in turn distributed to their own customers.

Manyen faces possible penalties of a mandatory minimum of five years and could be sentenced to 40 years, a $5,000,000 fine, and five years’ supervised release.

Rozell faces possible penalties of a mandatory minimum of 10 years and could be sentenced to life, a $10,000,000 fine, and five years’ supervised release.

The investigation was conducted by the Billings Big Sky Safe Streets Task Force and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force.