Tennessee fentanyl trafficker sentenced to six years in prison after distribution led to death of Great Falls man

GREAT FALLS - A Tennessee man who admitted to mailing fentanyl pills to a Great Falls couple that led to the overdose death of the husband was sentenced yesterday to six years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.

The defendant, Malice Clark, Jr., aka Greg Clark, aka "Greed", 58, of Memphis, Tennessee, pleaded guilty in June to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The court also ordered $9,000 restitution.

"The Defendant's nickname, Greed, encapsulates what our state and nation are facing regarding our drug epidemic. Those who are greedy are preying on those who are addicted, so much so that the greedy are killing people, which the Defendant's fentanyl distribution did here. It's as tragic as it is illegal, which is why we will remain relentless in our pursuit of those poisoning our communities," U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.

The government alleged in court documents that from February 2021 to April 2022, Clark repeatedly mailed small quantities of fentanyl from his home in Tennessee to his friend, the victim, John Doe, and his wife in Great Falls. On April 5, 2022, Doe and his wife received a package of fentanyl in the mail from Clark. That evening, both Doe and his wife took some of the fentanyl. At about 2:20 a.m. on April 6, 2022, Doe's wife called 911 and reported that Doe had overdosed. Doe was found unresponsive and pronounced dead. An autopsy confirmed that Doe's death was caused by acute fentanyl intoxication. Law enforcement collected pills that were determined to be fentanyl from Doe's home. Doe's wife admitted they had obtained the pills from Clark through the mail.

The U.S. Attorney's Office prosecuted the case. The Russell Country Drug Task Force, Great Falls Police Department, Memphis (Tennessee) Police Department, FBI, U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Drug Enforcement Administration and Montana Medical Examiner Office conducted the investigation.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.

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