Final Defendant Sentenced In Large Drug And Gun Case

Man Sentenced to 46 Months in Federal Prison for His Role in Drug Conspiracy and for Assaulting a Law Enforcement Officer

BOISE – Scott Vicente Hernandez, 43, of Oakland California, was sentenced today to 46 months in prison for conspiring to distribute methamphetamine and for assaulting an officer, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. U.S. District Judge Edward J. Lodge also ordered Hernandez to serve four years of supervised release. He pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge on December 17, 2013, and pleaded guilty to assault on an officer on June 15, 2014.

Hernandez and ten other individuals were indicted on July 9, 2013. The indictment included allegations of conspiring to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine and cocaine, unlawful possession of firearms, and the unlawful use of a firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking crime. Hernandez was arrested on July 24, 2013, and held at the Ada County Jail until his trial. On October 16, 2013, Hernandez assaulted a jail deputy while awaiting his trial.

Hernandez and the other ten co-defendants all pleaded guilty. Hernandez was the eleventh and final defendant to be sentenced in the case. Co-defendant Jeramie Mahler was previously sentenced to 247 months in prison for his role in the conspiracy and for shooting another person in furtherance of the drug trafficking conspiracy. The shooting was the result of a dispute about the quality and quantity of the methamphetamine. Co-defendant Hernan Gomez-Gutierrez was sentenced to 180 months in prison; Darrell Zirschky was sentenced to 168 months in prison; Michelle Ritch was sentenced to 120 months in prison; Carlos Tovar was sentenced to 87 months in prison; Wendy Harrison and Bobbi Woolsey were both sentenced to 84 months in prison; Daniel Vaughan was sentenced to 80 months in prison; Juan Mojica-Barragan was sentenced to 57 months in prison; and Nearia Pinnell was sentenced to 33 months in prison.

The case was investigated by the Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force, which is comprised of federal, state and local agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Boise Police Department; Ada County Sheriff’s Office; Caldwell Police Department; Nampa Police Department; Meridian Police Department; Canyon County Sheriff’s Office; and Idaho Department of Probation and Parole. Other agencies that contributed to this investigation include the Drug Enforcement Administration, Nampa Police Department, Caldwell Police Department, Canyon County Sheriff’s Office, and Ada County Sheriff’s Office. During the investigation, law enforcement agents seized twelve firearms, including a stolen firearm, and an illegal fully-automatic machine gun.

The case was prosecuted by the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney hired by the Treasure Valley Partnership and the State of Idaho to address gang crimes. The Treasure Valley Partnership is comprised of a group of elected officials in southwest Idaho dedicated to regional coordination, cooperation, and collaboration on creating coherent regional growth. For more information, visit treasurevalleypartners.org.