Mission man sentenced for selling explosives

MISSOULA - A St. Ignatius man received more than three years in prison after pleading guilty to one federal count of distributing explosive materials without a license.

Donald Paul Roberts, 37, was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison last Thursday after entering a guilty plea in December 2009. He will also undergo three years of supervised release.

A plea agreement was reached in December. Originally, the U.S. attorney charged Roberts with making counterfeit $20 and $100 bills as well. Information from the United States Attorney's Office said the government would have proved the following if the case had gone to trial: On June 30, 2009, an undercover agent with the FBI purchased 13 packets of Kinepak from Roberts for $2,600. Kinepak is an explosive material. Roberts did not have a license to sell explosive material.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that Roberts will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, Roberts does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15 percent of the overall sentence.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.