NEWS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY

WESTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI

BETH PHILLIPS

Contact Don Ledford, Public Affairs ● (816) 426-4220 ● 400 East Ninth Street, Room 5510 ● Kansas City, MO 64106

www.usdoj.gov../index.html

FEBRUARY 19, 2010

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

JURY CONVICTS HOLLISTER WOMAN

OF METH CONSPIRACY

            SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Beth Phillips, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced today that a Hollister, Mo., woman has been convicted by a federal jury of participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.

            Robin Gayle East, 49, of Hollister, was found guilty on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010, of participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine between April 14 and April 15, 2009.

            Co-defendant Kenneth Dale Woods, Jr., 43, of Branson, Mo., pleaded guilty on Oct. 14, 2009, to his role in the conspiracy and to possessing methamphetamine with the intent to distribute.

            Woods was arrested on April 15, 2009, with approximately 4.5 ounces of methamphetamine. He told police officers that East was arranging for delivery of the methamphetamine from a source in California. During the trial, the government presented evidence that the conspiracy had been on-going for the past several months in late 2008 and early 2009, as well as for approximately 10 to 12 months in 2004 and 2005 (until Woods began serving a three-year federal prison sentence in 2005). During the more recent 2008-2009 period, Woods indicated that East provided him four or five ounces of methamphetamine every week or two.

            Under federal statutes, East is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 40 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $2 million. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

            Following the presentation of evidence, the jury in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City deliberated less than two hours, before returning the guilty verdict to U.S. District Judge Richard E. Dorr, ending a trial that began Tuesday, Feb. 16, 2010.

            This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary K. Milligan. It was investigated by the Branson, Mo., Police Department and COMET (the Combined Ozarks Multi-jurisdictional Enforcement Team).

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This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, is available on-line at

http://www.justice.gov../index.html