#59447-065
Federal sentence: 30 years
Jurisdiction: Federal
Offense: Conspiracy to manufacture, possession with intent to distribute and to distribute methamphetamine; possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
Priors: Possession of a controlled substance II (twice in 1987, once in 1989), theft III (1989 and 1991) and forgery I (1991).
Year of birth: 1966
Year of sentencing: 1995
Projected release date: 3/17/2019

Addicted to methamphetamine since high school, Barbara was unemployed and desperate. She sought help from her husband, who was incarcerated at the time, and he insisted she sell methamphetamine for his friends, who were major methamphetamine manufacturers. Barbara eventually agreed. For a few weeks, the girlfriend of one of the leaders delivered the drugs to Barbara; Barbara’s husband told her where to take them. After Barbara earned enough to pay her bills, she ended her ties with them. Her husband, however, joined the conspiracy and became a major distributor.

In late 1992 authorities learned about the conspiracy from a confidential informant and searched the residences of Barbara’s six codefendants. They found a methamphetamine laboratory, firearms, scales, money and a drum of chemicals used to make methamphetamine. The government based part of the conspiracy’s total drug weight on the drugs that could have been produced from the contents in the drum. At Barbara’s residence, however, authorities only confiscated paperwork, small Ziploc baggies, scales, miscellaneous drug paraphernalia, and small trace quantities of suspected methamphetamine.
 
Barbara was not initially arrested with the other participants. One full year later – only after she refused to testify against the conspirators – she was indicted, based on the testimony of the leader’s girlfriend and her husband’s role. The government offered Barbara a plea bargain of 10 years in exchange for her knowledge of the conspiracy. She instead opted for a jury trial, not realizing the severity of the sentence awaiting her.
 
Since her incarceration, Barbara has committed herself to recovering psychologically and overcame her mental health issues in prison. She also graduated from a residential drug abuse program and was selected for its mentor program. As one of only a few members of the Bureau of Prisons Choices program, she speaks to teenagers about drug abuse. She is currently pursuing a degree in biblical studies from Ames Christian University. Her 15-year-old daughter now lives with Barbara’s father and brother, approximately 160 miles from Barbara.

Under federal sentencing guidelines, Barbara received a sentence reduction as a minor participant – the only one among her codefendants. But her 11 criminal history points increased her criminal history category, and the estimated total weight of the methamphetamine involved in the case elevated her guideline range. Barbara received 30 years. Her projected release date is in 2019.