Mountain Home Man Sentenced to More Than Eleven Years in Prison for Distributing Methamphetamine

BOISE - James O'Keith Mason, 37, of Mountain Home, Idaho, was sentenced in U.S. District Court to 137 months in prison for distributing five grams or more of pure methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Bart M. Davis announced today. Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye also ordered Mason to pay a $2,000 fine and serve 5 years of supervised release following his prison sentence. A federal grand jury indicted Mason on November 15, 2018. Mason pleaded guilty to the charge on July 17, 2019.

According to court records, law enforcement used a confidential informant to purchase methamphetamine from Mason on two separate occasions and to purchase a firearm on a third occasion. Mason has a lengthy criminal history that includes robbery, drug-related offenses, domestic violence, witness intimidation, and burglary. In announcing the sentence. Judge Nye noted that Mason was under the supervision of the Idaho Department of Correction when he distributed methamphetamine and that he had threatened someone with a gun during the same time period.

This case was investigated by Treasure Valley Metro Violent Crimes Task Force. The Task Force is comprised of federal, state, and local agencies, including Federal Bureau of Investigation; Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives; Ada County Sheriff’s Office; Boise Police Department; Caldwell Police Department; Canyon County Sheriff’s Office; Meridian Police Department; Nampa Police Department; and Idaho Department of Correction.

This case was prosecuted as part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) program. PSN is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts. PSN is an evidence-based program proven to be effective at reducing violent crime. Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, PSN focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

This case was prosecuted by the Special Assistant U.S. Attorney hired by the Treasure Valley Partnership and the State of Idaho to address gang crimes. The Treasure Valley Partnership is comprised of a group of elected officials in southwest Idaho dedicated to regional coordination, cooperation, and collaboration on creating coherent regional growth. For more information, visit www.treasurevalleypartners.org.