Acting United States Attorney Matthew R. Molsen announced that Lonnie Mason, a 42-year-old resident of Grand Island, Nebraska, has been sentenced for his involvement in a methamphetamine distribution conspiracy. On May 7, 2025, in federal court in Omaha, Nebraska, United States District Court Judge Brian C. Buescher sentenced Mason to 250 months of imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Following his release from prison, Mason will be subject to a lifetime term of supervised release as there is no parole in the federal system.
The case dates back to January 30, 2024, when Mason and co-conspirator Jolene Armentrout traveled from Omaha to Los Angeles and acquired 25 pounds of methamphetamine. Meanwhile, Robert Burkhardt and Stephanie Cummings drove Mason’s vehicle from Omaha to Las Vegas. The group convened in Las Vegas before Armentrout and Burkhardt proceeded to California to retrieve the drugs. They returned with the methamphetamine to Mason's apartment in Grand Island on February 4, 2024. Law enforcement intercepted them during a traffic stop where they discovered the drugs hidden within a compartment of their vehicle. A subsequent search warrant executed at Mason's residence uncovered additional illegal items including a stolen firearm and ammunition.
Co-conspirators Cummings, Armentrout, and Burkhardt have also faced legal consequences for their roles in this operation. Cummings was sentenced to 108 months' imprisonment; Armentrout received a sentence of 94 months; while Burkhardt was given a sentence of 57 months by the United States District Court for the District of Nebraska.
The investigation was carried out by the Drug Enforcement Administration alongside the Grand Island Police Department as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation aimed at dismantling high-level criminal organizations threatening national security through collaborative efforts among multiple agencies.