A defendant linked to the Mario Armas marijuana smuggling and money laundering ring will spend a year behind bars after he pleaded guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court to using a telephone to facilitate drug transaction — a felony charge.

Kevin Redstrom’s sentencing ends a roller coaster legal battle that began when he pleaded guilty last year only to have a judge refuse to accept it.

The plea centers around a phone call that Redstrom made in March 2003 to rent a hotel room at a Holiday Inn Express in Hiram, at the request of admitted drug dealer turned state’s witness Jimmy Collins, to count a “large amount of drug money,” said assistant U.S. attorney Lisa Tarvin.

Redstrom does not admit he was a part of the overall conspiracy but that he did “facilitate” that particular transaction, Wolfe said.

Redstrom was sentenced to 12 months in a federal prison, a $15,000 fine and a year of supervised release.

He was released with the understanding he would report to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons on request.

Rome News Tribune