Great Falls man admits distributing meth, fentanyl that resulted in death

GREAT FALLS – A Great Falls man accused of distributing methamphetamine and fentanyl that led to the death of another person in 2020 admitted charges on Oct. 27, Acting U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.

Kent Fox, 48, pleaded guilty to distribution of controlled substances resulting in death. Fox faces a mandatory minimum 20 years in prison, a $1 million fine and three years of supervised release.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. Sentencing was set for Feb. 24, 2022. Fox was detained pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that on Aug. 23, 2020, Great Falls police officers were dispatched to a camper trailer and found a male, identified as John Doe, deceased. Fox was on the scene, was friends with Doe and had last seen him two days earlier. He went to check on Doe and found him deceased. The investigation determined that Fox, Doe and co-defendant, Brandie Rae Fulbright, had discussed the use and distribution of various drugs. In an interview with law enforcement officers, Fox admitted to picking up Doe on Aug. 21, 2020 and taking him to his home so that Doe could buy meth from Fulbright. Doe traded an AR-15 rifle to Fulbright in exchange for some meth and two blue pills. Fulbright then gave the rifle to Fox, and Fox returned Doe to his camper. Investigators learned that Doe had the meth and two blue pills when he returned home and gave some of the meth to an individual. The individual saw Doe inject himself with meth obtained from Fox and then slump over on his bed. An autopsy determined that Doe died from an overdose of a combination of meth and fentanyl. Fulbright has pleaded not guilty to charges and is pending trial.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey K. Starnes is prosecuting the case, which was investigated by the FBI and Great Falls Police Department.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative to reduce violent crime. Through PSN, federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement partners in Montana focus on violent crime driven by methamphetamine trafficking, armed robbers, firearms offenses and violent offenders with outstanding warrants.

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