Gattis gets 16 years |
| December 6, 2013 |
| Robin Gattis, 20, Wasilla, was sentenced Thursday in
Anchorage Federal Court to 16 years in federal prison for his
role as leader of a methylone drug ring that culminated the
death of a friend in April, 2012. In pleading guilty to the most serious charge of 22 leveled against him, drug conspiracy, last August, Gattis, who has been in custody since his arrest in July, 2012, admitted that he imported approximately three kilograms of methylone between October 2011 and July 2012. He also admitted that he was the leader and organizer of the conspiracy, that he directly imported the drugs from China, and that he repeatedly wired money to China or directed others to do so in order to pay for drugs. He also admitted that he engaged in drug dealing as a livelihood, that he knowingly used persons under age 18 to assist in the crime, that he distributed the drugs to persons under 18, and that he distributed methylone to Matthew Scott, 20, who died of a methylone overdose in April, 2012, in his Anchorage apartment. As part of the plea deal, 21 lesser charges were dropped. Prosecutors sought a 20-year sentence and $1-million fine, but U.S. District Court Judge Ralph Beistline opted for a lesser sentence. “Sixteen years in jail is sufficient time to deal with your demons and develop a moral compass,” the judge said. |