Ryan Earl Bess, Marijuana Growth Conspiracy, Illinois 2012

Ridgeway Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison for Marijuana Offenses

A 34-year-old Ridgeway man has been sentenced to 5 years in prison for conspiring to grow over 100 marijuana plants in Southern Illinois.

Ryan Earl Bess, of Ridgeway, Illinois, was sentenced to a 5-year prison term for his role in a marijuana growth conspiracy that took place in Gallatin County between April 2012 and August 29, 2012.

Bess was charged by a Federal Grand Jury on September 5, 2012, along with codefendants Daniel J. Fulkerson and Paul E. Reynolds, with one count of conspiring to grow more than 100 marijuana plants and one count of actually growing the plants.

After fleeing Illinois following his indictment, Bess was arrested in Colorado in May 2014 and later pleaded guilty to the charges on October 22, 2014.

In addition to the 5-year prison sentence, Bess was ordered to pay fines and special assessments totaling $400 to the United States and was placed on a 4-year term of supervised release to follow his incarceration.

Fulkerson and Reynolds also previously pleaded guilty to the charges and were sentenced to prison terms of 60 months and 120 months, respectively.

The case was investigated by the Carmi office of the Southern Illinois Drug Task Force and was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney James M. Cutchin.

Bess was returned to the custody of the United States Marshal, where he had been held without bond since his arrest in Colorado, to await designation to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.

The sentencing brings an end to the case, which was the result of a joint investigation by the Carmi office of the Southern Illinois Drug Task Force.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdil/pr/ridgeway-man-sentenced-5-years-prison-marijuana-offenses