Heather Louise Manyen Pleads Guilty in U.S. Federal Court
| U.S. Attorney’s Office February 13, 2013 |
The United States Attorney’s Office announced that during a federal court session in Billings on February 13, 2013 before Chief U.S. District Judge Richard F. Cebull, HEATHER LOUISE MANYEN, a 32-year-old resident of Laurel, pled guilty to conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with intent to distribute and distribute. Sentencing has been set for May 16, 2013. She is currently released on special conditions.
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 (SSTF) 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 Julie Rozell. Rozell admitted to distributing approximately four pounds of methamphetamine for the organization. One of her distributors was HEATHER MANYEN.
During the investigation law enforcement learned that HEATHER MANYEN was a distributor of methamphetamine for Rozell from approximately March 2011, and continuing thereafter until late January 2012. HEATHER MANYEN worked with Frank Manyen to distribute the methamphetamine obtained from Rozell. HEATHER MANYEN and Frank Manyen together distributed the methamphetamine they obtained from Rozell in the greater Billings area. HEATHER MANYEN and Frank Manyen obtained approximately 700 grams of methamphetamine from Rozell, which they in turn distributed to their own customers.
Frank Manyen and Julie Rozell pled guilty to federal charges and are awaiting sentencing.
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.
The investigation was conducted by the Billings Big Sky Safe Streets Task Force and High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Task Force.