An East Ridge man was sentenced to 151 months in prison for his involvement in a widespread drug-dealing conspiracy.
John Miller, 51, stood before Judge Curtis Collier after police found methamphetamine, credit cards, a loaded gun, and a bag with $59,000 in cash.
Defense attorney Amanda Dunn asked for a downward variance for her client. She pointed to his rough upbringing, one where Miller was raised by an alcoholic father and eventually put in foster care. After growing older, Miller joined the Navy, and planned on travelling the world through the armed forces.
This dream never occurred, as it soon was discovered that Miller was a sleepwalker. While he was offered a job on land, a distraught Miller decided to quit the Navy. Soon after, he began a lifelong drug habit that has haunted him to present day.
“This is a person who has dealt with addiction for many, many years,” said attorney Dunn. “At 150 months, that could be a life sentence for him. He has realized this is probably his last chance at rehabilitation.”
The prosecution argued against this downward variance, noting Miller’s long history of dealing drugs. They said the defendant was involved in a large-scale distribution of methamphetamine in terms of quantity.
“A 120-month sentence is a deterrent,” said attorney Dunn when she attempted to convince Judge Collier to grant downward variance, “It punishes Mr. Miller and protects the public, while still showing mercy.”
“I’d like to apologize to my loved ones, and I plan on taking advantage of my opportunities in the Department of Corrections,” said Miller before the federal judge handed down his sentence.
After this statement, Judge Collier dismissed attorney Dunn’s plea for downward variance. He sentenced Miller to 151 months in prison, along with five more years of supervised release upon the expiration of that sentence.