Judge sentences Lame Deer woman to prison for meth

BILLINGS—A Lame Deer woman convicted in a large methamphetamine trafficking conspiracy that brought multi-pound quantities to Montana from California was sentenced on Thursday to nine months in prison, two years of house arrest and five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Brandy Joy Pretty On Top, 31, pleaded guilty in July 2018 to possession with intent to distribute meth.

U.S. District Judge Susan Watters presided.

An investigation began in 2015 into a meth trafficking organization that was bringing multi-pound quantities of the drug from the San Jose area in California to Montana for distribution. The investigation ultimately led to Pretty On Top, who was identified as a local dealer on the Northern Cheyenne Indian Reservation. Pretty On Top got meth from one of the San Jose area suppliers, who traveled to Montana.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Suek prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the FBI Big Sky Safe Streets Task Force and Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force.

The case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), which is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

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