Federal court briefs

The following information was released by the office of federal prosecutor Catherine Hanaway for defendants who appeared in federal court this week before U.S. District Judge Catherine D. Perry.

SENTENCINGS:

Name: Napoleon A. Bustamante, aka King Arthur XIII

Age: Unknown

Residence: Butler County

Charge: Passing a forged/counterfeit security, false statements and impersonating a U.S. citizen.

Sentencing: 21 months in prison for each count.

Details: Convicted by a jury Feb. 15 for depositing a counterfeit check of $148,974.86 into his business account in Poplar Bluff. A citizen of the Philippines, Bustamante told custom officials he was a U.S. citizen when arrested. He was sentenced Wednesday.

PLEADED GUILTY:

Name: Tory D. Stewart

Age: 31

Residence: Arkansas

Charge: Felony distribution of methamphetamine.

Sentencing range: Up to 40 years in prison and a $2 million fine.

Details: Stewart pleaded guilty Thursday to agreeing to provide meth in Southeast Missouri for distribution. He was arrested Dec. 29 in Blytheville, Ark., while selling 5 ounces of meth to a person from Southeast Missouri.

Name: Jeffrey L. Monaghan

Age: 22

Residence: Doniphan, Mo.

Charge: Felony setting fire to a building owned by the United States.

Sentencing range: Up to 25 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Details: On Thursday, Monaghan admitted to spreading gasoline on the floor of a restroom in the U.S. National Forest Float Camp and lighting it. The blaze caused $6,636 in damage.

Name: Georgia A. Bazzell

Age: 24

Residence: Poplar Bluff, Mo.

Charge: Felony manufacturing methamphetamine and felony endangering a human life while transporting materials/chemicals to manufacture meth.

Sentencing range: Up to 40 years in prison and a $2 million fine.

Details: Bazzell admitted Thursday to driving to Poplar Bluff on Highway 51 on Nov. 10 with an active meth lab and finished meth in the vehicle. Officers smelled a strong chemical odor from her vehicle and attempted to question the defendant. Bazzell drove off, dragging along an officer who was flung into a pole the vehicle crashed into. Inside the vehicle police found Bazzell's 2-year-old son and 351.47 grams of mixed meth.