Great Falls Man Sentenced To 8 Years In Federal Prison For Meth

The United States Attorney's Office announced that TODD ALLEN SCHMIDT, 50, of Great Falls, was sentenced to 96 months in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, during a federal court session in Helena on May 7, 2014, before Senior U.S. District Judge Sam Haddon. Schmidt was sentenced in connection with his January 2014 guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.

In an Offer of Proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan Whittaker, the prosecution told the Court that on January 14, 2013, in Helena, an informant contacted a local methamphetamine dealer to arrange to purchase 2 ounces of methamphetamine. The first drug dealer was out of town, but told the informant that he could obtain methamphetamine from Todd Schmidt, and that he, the first drug dealer, would have Schmidt call him, the informant.

A short time later, the informant received a call from Schmidt who told the informant that he would meet Schmidt the next evening in Helena with the methamphetamine. The following evening, January 15, 2013, the informant placed several calls to Schmidt which were recorded by law enforcement. The two agreed to meet at the Grub Steak Restaurant parking lot in Helena. Law enforcement provided the informant with sufficient funds to complete the transaction and then monitored the meeting with Schmidt.

Schmidt arrived at the Grub Steak parking lot in a white Cadillac. Schmidt got out of his vehicle and into the informant's vehicle where he gave the informant approximately 2 ounces of methamphetamine in exchange for the cash. Schmidt did not count the money and immediately left the vehicle. Schmidt got back into his car and drove out of the parking lot. The informant then turned the drugs over to law enforcement which were later analyzed and found to contain methamphetamine.

The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Montana Division of Criminal Investigations, and the Missouri River Drug Task Force.