Source: United States Department of Justice News
BILLINGS — A judge today convicted a Billings man on multiple crimes stemming from an investigation into kidnapping of minors, transportation of persons for illegal purposes, cocaine and methamphetamine trafficking and firearms crimes, U.S. Attorney Jesse Laslovich said.
U.S. District Judge Susan P. Watters found Angelo Corey Stackhouse, 52, guilty of all crimes charged in an indictment, including transportation of a person with intent to engage in illegal sexual activity, distribution of cocaine to a person under the age of 21, distribution of cocaine and meth, possession with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense and two counts of kidnapping.
Stackhouse faces a mandatory minimum of 27 years and a maximum of life imprisonment.
Judge Watters presided at a four-day bench trial that began on June 13. The court will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Judge Watters set sentencing for Oct. 27. Stackhouse’s detention was continued.
“Stackhouse was a violent cocaine trafficker who used drugs, a firearm and threats to prey on and sexually assault victims, including kidnapping two minor girls with the purpose to sexually assault them. Stackhouse’s convictions hold him accountable for multiple crimes. I want to thank Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zeno B. Baucus and Bryan T. Dake and all of the investigative agencies for their work on this case,” U.S. Attorney Laslovich said.
In court documents and in evidence presented at trial, the government alleged that in early 2020, Stackhouse trafficked illegal narcotics, primarily cocaine. Stackhouse went to Denver, Colorado, among other locations, to obtain cocaine for redistribution in the Billings community through the summer of 2020. During this time, Stackhouse also transported a young adult female to Colorado and sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions. Then in September 2020 and again in April 2021, Stackhouse kidnapped two minor females for the purposes of sexually assaulting them. One of the minor victims was from the Crow Indian Reservation and a second minor victim was from Billings.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Zeno B. Baucus and Bryan T. Dake prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Montana Department of Justice’s Division of Criminal Investigation, with assistance from the FBI, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Billings Police Department and Yellowstone County Sheriff’s Office.
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