BOISE – Jennifer Niemann, 34, of Boise, pleaded guilty to importation of a controlled substance, Acting U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr. announced today. Niemann was indicted by a federal grand jury in Boise on April 14, 2021.
According to court records, the United States Customs and Border Protection intercepted a parcel at the International Mail Facility in San Francisco, California. The parcel contained α-PHP, a bath salt analogue. The package was addressed to Jennifer Niemann in Boise, Idaho and originated from the Netherlands. As a part of a Homeland Security Investigations-led inquiry, agents and United States Postal Inspectors interviewed Niemann on July 1, 2019, Niemann admitted to using Bitcoin to purchase the α-PHP online.
Niemann faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, a one million dollar fine, and at least three years of supervised release. Sentencing is set for October 20, 2021, before Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye at the federal courthouse in Boise.
Acting U.S. Attorney Gonzalez credited the efforts of the United States Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Postal Inspection Service, which led to the charges.
This case was prosecuted by the Special Assistant United States Attorney hired by the Ada County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office with funds provided by the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas (HIDTA) program. HIDTA is part of the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) created by Congress with the Anti-Drug Abuse Act of 1988. It provides assistance to federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies operating in areas determined to be critical drug-trafficking regions of the United States. Idaho is part of the Oregon-Idaho HIDTA. The Idaho HIDTA is a collaboration of local, multi-jurisdictional law enforcement drug task forces, and prosecuting agencies dedicated to addressing regional drug trafficking organizations that operate in Ada, Canyon, Bannock, Kootenai, and Malheur Counties.
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