BILLINGS — A California woman who took over her husband’s methamphetamine distribution activities in Montana after he died has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison.
The Billings Gazette reports Charity Leigh Mendonsa of Rancho Mirage, California, was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty to possession with intent to distribute meth as part of a plea deal.
The 41-year-old woman was accused of distributing 2 ½ pounds of meth over a six-month period.
Prosecutors say Mendonsa began dealing meth after her husband died in 2015. They say his clients went to Mendonsa for meth and she began making drug runs to California for redistribution in Billings.
Mendonsa testified against her co-conspirators, 68-year-old Gary Lee Quigg and his 48-year-old wife. The couple was convicted of meth trafficking charges and are awaiting sentencing.