Great Falls woman admits to trafficking meth in community

GREAT FALLS - A Great Falls woman accused of distributing methamphetamine and traveling outside of Montana to pick up the drug admitted to a conspiracy charge on Monday, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said today.

The defendant, Melissa Ann Barone, 55, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute meth. Barone faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release.

Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided. The court will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for March 26, 2025. Barone was detained pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that Barone was involved in distributing meth in the Great Falls area and elsewhere from January 2020 until about April 2024. Numerous individuals who purchased or received meth from Barone corroborated Barone's involvement. The government alleged that Barone was a drug runner for her co-defendant, Daniel Allen Wakeford, who pleaded guilty to charges and is pending sentencing, and that she borrowed vehicles to travel outside of Montana to pick up meth.

As part of her guilty plea, Barone agreed to forfeit cash totaling $74,951 that was seized from a motorhome and two BMWs, an AK-47 pistol and magazine, a 2016 BMW and a 2002 40-foot motorhome.

The U.S. Attorney's Office is prosecuting the case. The FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, IRS, Great Falls Police Department and Russell Country Drug Task Force conducted the investigation.

The case was investigated under the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF). OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. For more information about Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces, please visit Justice.gov/OCDETF.

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