Federal Inmate Sentenced to Five Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Methamphetamine with the Intent to Distribute

Ocala, Florida – United States District Judge Thomas P. Barber has sentenced Billy Boortz (43, Duval Couty, Texas) to five years in federal prison for possession of five grams or more of methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. According to the court records, on July 18, 2025, Boortz was a federal inmate in the Coleman Federal Correctional Complex (FCC Coleman) in Sumter County, Florida. On that date, Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) corrections officers ordered Boortz to submit to a search. Instead of complying, Boortz attempted to assault the officers by throwing punches towards their heads and upper bodies. Eventually, the officers were able to gain control over Boortz, and discovered over nine grams of methamphetamine hidden in Boortz’s sock. Boortz told law enforcement that he would have made approximately $20,000 if he had been able to sell the methamphetamine inside FCC Coleman. This case was investigated by the Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Prisons. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Hannah Nowalk Watson and Sarah Janette Swartzberg. The case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).