Billings-Area Man Admits to Running Meth Operation Out of Worden Home

A Worden man who regularly sold methamphetamine out of his rural Yellowstone County home has admitted to federal drug charges. John Paul Schiemding, 49, entered his guilty plea before U.S. District Judge William W. Mercer, with Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith announcing the case.

Schiemding Faces Up to 40 Years in Federal Prison

The charge is serious. Schiemding faces five to 40 years in prison, a $5 million fine, four years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment. Judge Mercer will determine the final sentence after reviewing sentencing guidelines. Schiemding was released back to supervision pending further proceedings.

Bank Fraud Investigation Uncovers Meth Trafficking Ring in Billings

The road to Schiemding's front door began somewhere else entirely. An investigation by local and federal law enforcement into bank fraud and stolen guns led officials to the meth trafficking operation. On August 6, 2025, Billings police arrested a man suspected of trying to cash fraudulent checks at a local bank. A search of his vehicle turned up more fraudulent documents and a stolen handgun.

Stolen Firearms and Drug Sales Led Investigators to Worden Suspect

Things unraveled quickly from there. From jail, in an effort to raise bond money, the man directed his girlfriend to sell stolen guns and other items to Schiemding, who had been identified by the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Taskforce as someone with a history of trafficking meth in the Billings area.

Using a warrant, investigators began tracking the vehicles and cell phones used by the girlfriend and another woman, which led officers to the Billings home of Schiemding's father and Schiemding's residence in Worden. The two women later told investigators they had regularly purchased meth from Schiemding.

Search Warrants Reveal Meth, Stolen Guns, and Destroyed Evidence at Two Properties
On September 17, 2025, investigators served search warrants on both locations, where they discovered a large cache of stolen firearms in the Billings home and meth and drug paraphernalia in Schiemding's Worden residence.

One detail from the Worden search stands out. Officers discovered in the sink a torn vacuum pack plastic bag filled with water and containing meth residue. Agents cut the P-trap out of the sink and collected the water inside, which also tested positive for meth. They also recovered glass pipes, a digital scale, and cash.

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Billings Police, Yellowstone County Sheriff, and HIDTA Taskforce Crack Meth Ring

The Billings Police Department, Yellowstone County Sheriff's Office, and the Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Taskforce conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Rubich is prosecuting the case on behalf of the government.

Sentencing has not yet been scheduled.