MISSOULA-A Butte man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison on Thursday for his role in a large methamphetamine conspiracy, U.S. Attorney Kurt G. Alme said.
Steven Francis Reychler, 70, was sentenced to five years in prison for conviction on conspiracy to possess meth for distribution, a consecutive five years in prison for possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and five years supervised release. He pleaded guilty to the charges on Aug. 16.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided at the sentencing.
An investigation found that in March 2016, Reychler sold a confidential informant four ounces of meth in Butte and mentioned bringing multiple pounds of meth to Butte from Las Vegas. Two months later, law enforcement officers arrested co-defendant Jennifer Lynn Marshall, who is Reychler’s niece, in Dillon. Marshall was headed to California to buy four pounds of meth. She had $12,000 and a handgun in her possession when arrested. Judge Christensen recently sentenced Marshall to eight years in prison for her conviction in the case.
When interviewed, Reychler admitted to investigators he had sent Marshall to California to buy four pounds of meth for him and gave her his.380 pistol when she asked to take along a firearm.
The four ounces of meth the March 2016 sale was found to contain 112 grams of pure meth, which is the equivalent of about 896 doses.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Bartleson prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation, the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force and the Missouri River Drug Task Force.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of its renewed focus on targeting violent criminals.
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Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
