Flathead Valley Man Sentenced to Prison for Trafficking Heroin, Illegal Possession of Firearm
MISSOULA — A Kalispell man who admitted to trafficking heroin and to illegal possession a firearm and ammunition was sentenced today to five years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release, U.S. Attorney Leif M. Johnson said.
Joseph Daniel Fox, 29, pleaded guilty in December 2021, to possession with intent to distribute heroin and to prohibited person in possession of firearms and ammunition.
U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen presided.
In court documents, the government alleged that the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office had several cases involving Fox in which information indicated he was distributing drugs in the Flathead Valley and possessed firearms. Law enforcement learned from several sources that they had purchased heroin from Fox in 2019 and 2020. A search warrant executed on Fox’s Facebook account provided numerous messages where Fox offered heroin for sale and discussed prices. In February 2019, a search warrant was executed on Fox’s residence as part of a burglary investigation. Officers located marijuana, a digital scale, two firearms, methamphetamine and jewel baggies. Fox admitted to using marijuana and to possessing the guns and meth in his residence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer S. Clark prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI’s Montana Regional Violent Crime Task Force.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative to reduce violent crime. Through PSN, federal, tribal, state and local law enforcement partners in Montana focus on violent crime driven by methamphetamine trafficking, armed robbers, firearms offenses and violent offenders with outstanding warrants.
