A man who distributed crack cocaine was sentenced July 8, 2011, to 13 years in federal prison.
James Miller, 50, from Hartley, Iowa, received the prison term after a December 13, 2010, guilty plea to one count of conspiring to distribute crack cocaine, and one count of distributing and aiding and abetting the distribution of crack cocaine.
At the guilty plea, Miller admitted that he conspired to distribute more than 20 grams of crack cocaine in the Sioux City and Hartley areas from October 2009 through March 2010. Miller admitted he distributed crack cocaine to an undercover law enforcement officer within 1,000 feet of Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Community School on December 1, 2009. Miller often acted as a “middle-person” for drug transactions, and sometimes received crack cocaine from his co-defendants for his part in the transactions.
Miller was sentenced to 156 months’ imprisonment in Sioux City by United States District Court Judge Mark W. Bennett. A special assessment of $200 was imposed. He must also serve a 12-year term of supervised release after the prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Miller is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation; and Spirit Lake Police Department.
Court file information is available at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl. The case file number is 10-4058.|
