Northwest Arkansas Man and Woman Sentenced to Over 18 Years Combined in Federal Prison for Drug Trafficking

Fayetteville, Arkansas – David Clay Fowlkes, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas announced today that Richard Calvin Artz, age 54, from Gravette, Arkansas was sentenced to 87 months imprisonment followed by three years supervised release and Rebekah Ann Wiser, age 36, from Rogers, Arkansas was sentenced to 130 months imprisonment followed by five years supervised release for Aiding and Abetting the Distribution of more than 50 grams of Methamphetamine.  The Honorable Timothy L. Brooks presided over the sentencing hearings in the United States District Court in Fayetteville.

 According to court records, on December 17, 2018, an undercover police officer purchased 186.75 grams (approximately seven (7) ounces) of methamphetamine from Rebekah Wiser for $3,500.  Present near the transaction was Richard Artz, who the investigation determined provided Rebekah Wiser with the methamphetamine to sell to the undercover police officer.      

Artz and Wiser were indicted by a federal grand jury in March of 2019 and entered guilty pleas in September of 2019. 

This prosecution and investigation was part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program.  The OCDETF program is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s drug supply reduction strategy.  OCDETF was established in 1982 to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations.  Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement.  The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illicit drug supply.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Rogers, Arkansas Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorney Brandon Carter prosecuted the case for the United States.