POCATELLO – Kevin Ralph Nixon, 54, of Idaho Falls, entered a guilty plea to possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr., today. Nixon was originally indicted by a federal grand jury on August 27, 2019. Sentencing is set for November 8, 2021, before Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye at the federal courthouse in Pocatello.
According to court records, Nixon was arrested after a vehicle, in which he was a passenger, was involved in a pursuit with Idaho State Police that ended in a collision in a commercial area near downtown Idaho Falls. The driver of the vehicle ran away. Nixon stayed at the vehicle and was contacted by police. Nixon was found to be in possession of methamphetamine and admitted he was involved in a drug trafficking transaction that was observed by law enforcement earlier in the day.
Nixon is facing a maximum term of twenty years in federal prison, a fine of $1 million, and at least three years of supervised release.
Acting U.S. Attorney Gonzalez credited the cooperative efforts of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Idaho State Police-District 6, and the Idaho Falls Police Department, which led to charges.
This case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney Office’s specially deputized Special Assistant U.S. Attorney (SAUSA), Blythe H. McLane, funded by the Eastern Idaho Partnership (EIP) and the State of Idaho. The EIP is a coalition of local city and county officials in eastern Idaho as well as the Idaho Department of Correction.
The EIP SAUSA program allows law enforcement to utilize the federal criminal justice system – through the EIP SAUSA – to prosecute, convict, and sentence violent, armed criminals and drug traffickers. These criminals often receive stiffer penalties than they might in state courts.
This program was created in January 2016. Since that time, approximately 172 defendants have been indicted by the EIP SAUSA. Of these defendants, 125 have been indicted on drug trafficking charges. Collectively, the defendants indicted under the program have been sentenced to 7,408 months (approximately 617 years) in federal prison, representing an average prison sentence of 53.3 months (4.4 years). Defendants indicted for drug trafficking offenses serve, on average, approximately 58.69 months (4.8 years) in federal prison.
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