Tag: Billings
Veronica Clarice Baker, Sex Trafficking a Minor, Montana 2023
⏱ 2 min read A 31-year-old woman from Lame Deer, Montana, has been sentenced to 6 years in prison for trafficking a child for sex in Billings. Veronica Clarice Baker pleaded guilty in July 2025 to one count of sex trafficking a minor. The crime occurred in April 2023, when Baker met a man named…
Patrick Louis Gastelo, Conspiracy to Distribute Methamphetamine, Montana 2026
⏱ 2 min read Patrick Louis Gastelo, a 47-year-old Arizona man, conspired to distribute methamphetamine in Billings, Montana, by arranging for a 2-pound shipment to be sent to his girlfriend’s home. The package, flagged by a USPS postal inspector on November 7, 2022, was intercepted and led to Gastelo’s eventual arrest. Gastelo had planned to…
Jordan Andrew Hennessy, Bank Fraud, Montana 2022
⏱ 2 min read Jordan Andrew Hennessy, a 38-year-old commercial relationship manager at First Interstate Bank in Billings, Montana, pleaded guilty to bank fraud after falsifying a loan application to secure $50,000. The incident occurred on March 11, 2022, when Hennessy submitted a commercial loan application under his father’s business name, Stillwater Group, LLC, claiming…
Rafael Gonzales Montanez, Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine, Montana 2024
⏱ 2 min read Rafael Gonzales Montanez and Aaron Wade Montoya, two Billings men, have admitted to dealing methamphetamine around town. The duo, both in their 60s, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, with Montoya also pleading guilty to possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The crimes…
Jordan Andrew Hennessy, Bank Fraud, Montana 2022
⏱ 2 min read Jordan Andrew Hennessy, a 38-year-old former commercial relationship manager at First Interstate Bank in Billings, Montana, pleaded guilty to bank fraud after falsifying a loan application to award himself $50,000. The incident began on March 11, 2022, when Hennessy submitted a commercial loan application for $100,000 under the name of his…
Derrick Chandler Lucero, Methamphetamine Possession with Intent to Distribute, Montana 2025
⏱ 2 min read A Billings man’s attempt to buy a massive haul of methamphetamine has landed him in federal prison. Derrick Chandler Lucero, 48, tried to purchase 35 pounds of meth from a courier with ties to a Mexican drug operation at a Laurel truck stop in July 2025. The operation was intercepted by…
Joshua Jacob Best, Meth Trafficking, Montana 2023
⏱ 2 min read Joshua Jacob Best, a 40-year-old Billings man, has pleaded guilty to trafficking significant amounts of methamphetamine in Montana. Best’s operation was part of a larger smuggling ring that spanned multiple states, including Wyoming, South Dakota, California, and Montana. The ring, which originated in Mexico, was uncovered in June 2023 after an…
Raymond Eugene Best Jr, Meth Trafficking, Montana 2026
⏱ 2 min read Raymond Eugene Best Jr, a 44-year-old Billings man, has pleaded guilty to trafficking significant amounts of methamphetamine and cocaine in Montana. The guilty plea was entered on charges of possession with intent to distribute controlled substances, which could land Best a minimum of 15 years to life imprisonment. The investigation, which…
Matthew David Slemmer, Prohibited Person in Possession of a Firearm, Montana 2025
⏱ 2 min read Matthew David Slemmer, a 41-year-old Billings man, was involved in a road rage incident on January 17, 2025, where he pulled a gun on another individual after an exchange in traffic. The incident occurred in a parking lot, where Slemmer brandished a firearm before leaving the scene. He returned to the…
James Billings, Gun Trafficking, Montana 2020
⏱ 2 min read A brazen gunrunner peddled four pistols and a rifle to undercover agents in Billings, Montana, between September 2024 and February 2025. Frank Spencer Marr, 50, sold the guns, including a Taurus 9 mm and Glock 20 10 mm, for $300 to $400 each. Marr, a convicted felon with a history of…
