Linn woman pleads guilty to federal firearm, meth charges

A Linn woman pleaded guilty Tuesday to federal charges of illegally possessing methamphetamine and a firearm.

Tammy Dickinson, the U.S. Attorney for Missouri's Western District, said Sangria Dawn Mueller, 39, entered the pleas before U.S. Magistrate Judge Matt J. Whitworth, to both counts of a June 25 federal indictment.

Mueller admitted she was in possession of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute it on Feb. 20, 2014, in Osage County.

And she admitted having a Smith & Wesson 9 mm semi-automatic handgun on that day, even though she had three prior felony convictions for possession of a controlled substance, and a prior felony conviction for driving while revoked.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition.

Mueller was charged after law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at her residence on Feb. 20, 2014, and found an ammunition box in the garage that contained three bags of methamphetamine totaling 165 grams.

They found the handgun in the top drawer of a bedroom dresser, Dickinson said in a news release.

Under federal statutes, Mueller is subject to a sentence of up to 30 years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine of up to $1.25 million.

She will be sentenced at a hearing that will be scheduled after the U.S. Probation Office completes its pre-sentence investigation.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart J. Zander prosecuted the case, which was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Osage County Sheriff's Department, the Missouri Highway Patrol and the Lake Area Narcotics Enforcement Group (LANEG).