United States Department of Justice, Northern District of California press release:
Judson Allen Stiglich pleaded guilty in federal court today to possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute the drug and possession of a firearm in furtherance of the drug trafficking, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Alex G. Tse and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett. The guilty plea was accepted by the Honorable Susan Illston, U.S. District Judge.
According to his plea agreement, Stiglich, 36, of Eureka, admitted he was a methamphetamine dealer. Further, on December 7, 2017, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at his home and found over 200 grams of 100% pure ice methamphetamine; Stiglich acknowledged he intended to sell the drugs. During the search of his residence, the law enforcement officers also found $2409.00 in cash and drug distribution paraphernalia, including a digital scale with methamphetamine residue. Stiglich acknowledged he knowingly possessed all the items and further admitted that in the weeks leading up to December 7, 2017, he sent text messages from his phone both to set up drug transactions and to discuss his debt to a drug supplier.
Further, Stiglich admitted he possessed a .357 revolver loaded with four rounds of ammunition to further his drug dealing. Stiglich admitted that among the reasons he possessed the weapon were to protect himself, his drugs, and his money.
On March 1, 2018, a federal grand jury indicted Stiglich charging him with one count each of possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine, in violation of 21 U.S.C. § 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(B); possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 924(c); and being a felon in possession of a firearm, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 922(g). Pursuant to today’s plea agreement, Stiglich pleaded guilty to the first two charges. The felon in possession charge will be dismissed at the time of sentencing if Stiglich complies with the terms of the plea agreement.
Stiglich was arrested on December 7, 2017, and has been in custody since that time. Judge Illston scheduled his sentencing for November 2, 2018. Stiglich faces a statutory maximum of 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000,000 for the drug distribution charge. In addition, Stiglich faces a mandatory minimum statutory sentence of 5 years in prison for the drug distribution charge as well as an additional consecutive 5-year minimum prison term for possessing a firearm in furtherance of drug distribution. The court may also order additional fines and supervised release. However, any sentence following conviction will be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Ravi T. Narayan is prosecuting the case with the assistance of Kimberly Richardson. The prosecution is the result of an investigation conducted by the FBI and the Humboldt County Drug Task Force.
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