Browning man admits meth trafficking on Blackfeet Indian Reservation

GREAT FALLS – A Browning man accused of being a methamphetamine dealer on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation admitted to a trafficking crime today, Acting U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.

Steven Roy DeCarlo, 31, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. DeCarlo faces a mandatory minimum 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. Chief Judge Morris set sentencing for Jan. 13. DeCarlo was detained pending further proceedings.

In court documents, the government alleged that law enforcement had several encounters with DeCarlo in 2020, including responding on July 31, 2020 to a report of gunshots in a field on the reservation. Officers saw two vehicles at the scene, one of which drove away. DeCarlo was in his vehicle, which remained. During a consent search of the vehicle and DeCarlo, officers found drug paraphernalia and $500. Meanwhile, the second vehicle, driven by a person identified as Jane Doe, returned. Officers executed a search warrant on that vehicle and found $1,500 and meth.

DeCarlo told investigators that he and Jane Doe were involved in getting meth, which Jane Doe had been distributing. DeCarlo told officers he had financed multiple purchases of meth that Jane Doe had made with the supplier. DeCarlo later admitted to personally bringing a pound of meth from out of state to the reservation for distribution. A pound of meth is the equivalent of 3,624 doses.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ethan R. Plaut is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative to reduce violent crime. Through PSN, federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement partners in Montana focus on violent crime driven by methamphetamine trafficking, armed robbers, firearms offenses and violent offenders with outstanding warrants.

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