SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A Springfield, Illinois, man, Michael Bale, 44, of the 4000 block of Sandhill Road was sentenced on July 22, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Sue E. Myerscough to 84 months in prison for possessing with intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine (actual).
Bale was indicted in March 2020 and pleaded guilty in March 2022.
The statutory penalties for possessing with intent to distribute five grams or more of methamphetamine (actual) are up to 40 years in prison, up to a $5,000,000 fine, up to life of supervised release, and restitution as determined by the district court.
The Drug Enforcement Administration, Illinois State Police, and Springfield Police Department investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Z. Weir represented the government in the prosecution.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF)’s National Methamphetamine Strategic Initiative, spearheaded locally by the Drug Enforcement Agency. The primary goal of this initiative is to address methamphetamine trafficking and its attendant consequences by using a coordinated, multi-agency approach targeting the highest levels of drug trafficking leadership. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.