A Worden resident, John Paul Schiemding, pleaded guilty on June 2 to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said. Schiemding, 49, faces a sentence of five to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine, four years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment.
U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer presided over the plea hearing and will determine the final sentence after reviewing the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Schiemding was released back to supervision pending further proceedings and will be scheduled for sentencing at a later date.
According to court documents cited by prosecutors, an investigation into bank fraud and stolen firearms led local and federal law enforcement officials to uncover Schiemding’s meth trafficking operation in rural Yellowstone County. The case began on Aug. 6, 2025, when Billings police arrested an individual suspected of attempting to cash fraudulent checks at a local bank; officers discovered additional fraudulent documents and a stolen handgun during a search of his vehicle.
While in jail, the suspect directed his girlfriend to sell stolen guns and other items to Schiemding as part of efforts to raise bond money. Investigators obtained warrants allowing them to track vehicles and cell phones used by the girlfriend and another woman connected with the case; this surveillance led authorities first to the Billings home of Schiemding’s father and then his own residence in Worden. Both women later told investigators they had regularly purchased meth from Schiemding.
On Sept. 17, 2025, investigators executed search warrants at both locations—finding what they described as “a large cache of stolen firearms” at the Billings address along with methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia at Schiemding’s home in Worden. Officers recovered from the sink area a torn vacuum-sealed plastic bag containing water with meth residue; agents also removed part of plumbing that tested positive for methamphetamine residue alongside glass pipes, digital scales, and cash found on site.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Rubich is prosecuting this case while investigations were conducted by Billings Police Department, Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office, and Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Taskforce.
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana focuses on protecting citizens through ethical enforcement of federal laws—including cases involving violent crime or drug offenses—and operates offices across Billings, Great Falls, Helena and Missoula as part of its commitment under appointment by the Attorney General, according to its official website.