A Billings man admitted on July 14 to trafficking significant amounts of fentanyl from his West End home, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.
Jason Allen Lehman, 50, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Lehman faces up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, a $5 million fine, and a $100 special assessment on the trafficking charge. For the gun charge, he faces between five years and life in prison, five years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided at the change of plea hearing; sentencing was set for a later date before U.S. District Judge Kathleen S. Lane, who will determine the sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Lehman remained on release pending further proceedings.
According to court documents presented by the government, Lehman used the postal service to obtain fentanyl pills which he then trafficked around Billings from his home on Green Teal Drive in the West End area. The investigation began on Feb. 24 when law enforcement intercepted a suspicious package sent from an invalid Colorado address to Green Teal Drive; it contained more than 100 grams of fentanyl in pill form linked by phone number registration to Lehman.
Law enforcement later interviewed sources who identified “Jason Holtz,” living at Green Teal Drive and driving a Ford F-150 truck as their supplier; both identified Lehman as having sold them fentanyl at that address by April 2025. On April 21 another package containing fentanyl was intercepted en route there; subsequent searches yielded about 1,500 pills along with drug paraphernalia and several firearms including handguns and rifles.
Lehman told investigators he purchased pills online under different names for delivery but admitted selling or giving away some pills while keeping firearms for protection purposes.
The case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office with investigation led by United States Postal Inspection Service and Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force. The U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana is part of the Department of Justice with offices across Billings, Great Falls, Helena and Missoula supporting community safety through ethical enforcement efforts, according to the official website.