Hot Springs Woman Sentenced To 14 Years In Federal Prison For Drug Possession

Fayetteville, Arkansas – David Clay Fowlkes, First Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas, announced that Michelle Friedman, age 38, was sentenced yesterday to 168 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release for Possession with Intent to Distribute Methamphetamine.  The Honorable Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearing in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.

According to court records, on or about January 3, 2020, agents with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) learned that Friedman was purported to be selling methamphetamine from a hotel room in Fayetteville, Arkansas. These agents contacted Friedman's supervising parole officer and learned that Friedman had an active arrest warrant for absconding supervision, and had an active search waiver on file.

DEA agents and her Parole officer located Friedman in her hotel room and made contact with her. Friedman immediately advised officers that everything in the room belonged to her. During a search of the room, Officers located a box and a flashlight that contained methamphetamine, as well as a digital scale.

The DEA crime lab tested the seized methamphetamine and determined that it contained 627grams of methamphetamine.

A federal grand jury indicted Friedman in March 2020, and she entered a guilty plea in June 2020.

This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Arkansas Probation and Parole.  Assistant United States Attorney Hunter Bridges prosecuted the case for the United States.