Idaho woman pleads guilty to importation of bath salts
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The following is a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Idaho.
BOISE — Jennifer Niemann, 34, of Boise, pleaded guilty to importation of a controlled substance, Acting U.S. Attorney Rafael M. Gonzalez, Jr. announced. Niemann was indicted by a federal grand jury in Boise on April 14.
According to court records, the United States Customs and Border Protection intercepted a parcel at the International Mail Facility in San Francisco, California. The parcel contained α-PHP, a bath salt analogue. The package was addressed to Jennifer Niemann in Boise and originated from the Netherlands. As a part of a Homeland Security Investigations-led inquiry, agents and United States Postal Inspectors interviewed Niemann on July 1, 2019, Niemann admitted to using Bitcoin to purchase the α-PHP online.
Niemann faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, a one million dollar fine, and at least three years of supervised release. Sentencing is set for October 20, 2021, before Chief U.S. District Judge David C. Nye at the federal courthouse in Boise.
Acting U.S. Attorney Gonzalez credited the efforts of the United States Customs and Border Protection, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Postal Inspection Service, which led to the charges.