BILLINGS – Jeffrey Prettypaint, a 30-year-old man from Crow Agency, was sentenced to five years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for his involvement in methamphetamine trafficking. U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich announced the sentence today. Prettypaint had pleaded guilty in September 2023 to possession with intent to distribute meth. The sentencing was overseen by U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters, who permitted Prettypaint to self-surrender to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons.
According to court documents and statements in court, Prettypaint was implicated in a large, multi-state narcotics trafficking operation centered on the Crow Indian Reservation. This organization, active from around January 2022 to March 2023, supplied meth to the Crow and Northern Cheyenne Reservations and the Billings community. Prettypaint, one of roughly two dozen defendants in the conspiracy, played a mid-level role.
The government’s allegations detail Prettypaint’s direct involvement with high-ranking members of the drug distribution network. He obtained meth from locations such as Spear Siding on the reservation. Text messages from February 2023 show Prettypaint discussing meth transactions and distribution strategies, including expansion to other locations and using cash apps for transactions. He was also aware of a co-conspirator’s “safe house” for fentanyl and meth, and in September 2022, facilitated a meth purchase at Spear Siding.