Billings man pleads guilty to trafficking fentanyl

BILLINGS - A Billings man who trafficked significant amounts of fentanyl from his West End home admitted to charges today, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.

Jason Allen Lehman, 50, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Lehman faces up to 40 years in prison, at least four years of supervised release, a $5 million fine, and a $100 special assessment on the trafficking charge. For the gun charge he faces between five years and life in prison, five years of supervised release, a $250,000 fine, and a $100 special assessment.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan presided at the change of plea and sentencing was set for a later date. U.S. District Judge Kathleen S. Lane will determine a sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Lehman remained on release pending further proceedings.

The government alleged in court documents that Lehman had been using the postal service to obtain fentanyl pills, which he then trafficked around Billings from his home on the West End.

The investigation into Lehman began on Feb. 24, 2025, when law enforcement intercepted a suspicious package sent from an invalid Colorado address to a home on Green Teal Drive in Billings. Using a warrant, investigators opened the package and discovered more than 100 grams of fentanyl in the form of 1,000 pills. A cell number associated with the package was registered to Lehman.

A month later, law enforcement spoke with a source who had purchased fentanyl from a man named "Jason Holtz," who drove a Ford F-150, and lived on Green Teal Drive. By April 2025, law enforcement had learned of a second person who had purchased fentanyl from Lehman at the address on Green Teal Drive. On April 21, 2025, law enforcement intercepted another package containing fentanyl addressed to the Green Teal Drive home. Investigators then obtained a search warrant for the home and the Ford F-150, and found roughly 1,500 fentanyl pills, drug paraphernalia, a handgun, a shotgun, an assault-style rifle, and a bolt action hunting rifle.

In interviews with law enforcement, Lehman acknowledged he purchased fentanyl pills online, which were then shipped to his home under different names. He said he used most of the pills himself but said he also sold some and gave some away. He said he kept the guns for protection.

The U.S. Attorney's Office is prosecuting the case. The United States Postal Inspection Service and Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force conducted the investigation.