Jackson pleads guilty in drug case

COEUR d'ALENE — Augustine Jackson, 32, of Williston, N.D., pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to distribute heroin, oxycodone and methamphetamine, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced.

The plea was the third in a multi-state drug ring bust involving 11 individuals, including a local gastroenterologist, Dr. Stanley Toelle, and his wife, Loren. The doctor was charged with conspiracy to launder money and faces up to 20 years in prison if found guilty.

Loren was charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and 13 counts of conspiracy to launder money. She faces up to 60 years if found guilty.

Both were indicted in federal court in January along with five other individuals. Jackson was indicted by a federal grand Jury in Coeur d'Alene on April 19, 2016.

The jury trial that lists Stanley and Loren, among others, as defendants is set for March 6, 2017.

Stanley filed for divorce from Loren in May.

Jackson admitted she was part of a drug trafficking organization that sold heroin, oxycodone and methamphetamine in Idaho, Montana, North Dakota and Washington. Jackson helped the organization by selling and transporting controlled substances, and by making sure the profits went to the appropriate co-conspirator.

In addition to pleading guilty, Jackson agreed to forfeit any interest she has in real property, jewelry or cash held by herself or by conspirators as outlined in the indictment.

The charge of conspiracy to distribute controlled substance is punishable by up to 20 years in prison, a maximum fine of $1,000,000, and at least 3 years supervised release.

Sentencing is set for March 7, 2017, before Chief U.S. District Judge B. Lynn Winmill at the federal courthouse in Coeur d'Alene.

Two other co-defendants in the case have pleaded guilty along with Jackson.

Geena Lauren Milho, 25, of Williston, N.D., pleaded guilty on Sept. 14, 2016, to conspiracy to distribute heroin, oxycodone and methamphetamine. Milho will be sentenced on Jan. 18, 2017.

Sherlann Simon, 34, of North Las Vegas, Nev., pleaded guilty on Oct. 11, 2016, to conspiracy to launder money. Simon will be sentenced on Jan. 19, 2017.

The case was investigated by the Coeur d'Alene Police Department, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations (IRS-CI), Kootenai County Sheriff's Office, the North Idaho Violent Crimes Task Force (NIVCTF), and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

The indictment is the result of a joint investigation of the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force, which included the cooperative law enforcement efforts of the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation, and U.S. Marshals Service.

The OCDETF program is a federal multi agency, multi jurisdictional task force that supplies supplemental federal funding to federal and state agencies involved in the identification, investigation, and prosecution of major drug trafficking organizations.