DENVER – The sister of one of the teenagers charged with murder and arson in the 2020 Green Valley Ranch fire that killed five was sentenced Friday morning to more than 10 years in prison after she pleaded guilty to federal firearm and drug distribution counts in February.
Tanya Bui pleaded guiltyin the U.S. District Court of Colorado in February to one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, and one count of possession with intent to distribute a mixture and substance containing a detectable amount of fentanyl.
On Friday, she was sentenced to five years in prison for the first count and 70 months (five years and 10 months) for the second count, according to court records and a Denver7 reporter who was in the courtroom. The sentences will run consecutively.
After she is released, she will be on supervised release for four years for the first count and three years for the second count – though those will run concurrently.
The court recommended she be imprisoned at a facility in or near the Norther District of California, which could records said was “commensurate with her security classification.”
“This defendant’s outrageous actions, including dealing drugs to juveniles, are worthy of a lengthy prison sentence,” U.S. Attorney Cole Finegan said in a statement. “We appreciate the diligent work of our partners at the ATF and the Denver Police Department.”
Bui is the older sister of Kevin Bui, who is one of three teenagers who was charged in the first that killed a Senegalese family in Green Valley Ranch in 2020.
Kevin Bui and Gavin Seymour face adult charged in the case while the other teen faces juvenile charges. Kevin Bui also picked up new charges last week after he was accused of possessing and distributing pills with suspected fentanyl in jail in Denver.
When police were investigating the arson and murder case, they discovered that Kevin Bui was helping Tanya Bui traffic drugs. They found communications with them detailing how Kevin would help Tanya distribute fentanyl pills and marijuana through social media and over the phone.
When investigators searched their home in Littleton, they found 74 grams of fentanyl pills and nearly 4,000 grams of marijuana, according to federal court filings. Investigators said Tanya Bui would tell Kevin whom to sell to, where to make deals, and generally directed him on how to help her.
As part of her plea deal, Tanya Bui agreed to forfeit a .45-caliber pistol, ammunition and $6,825. Prosecutors did not seek the maximum sentence in the case because of Bui’s cooperation and plea agreement.
Kevin Bui’s arraignment in the murder and arson case was continued to July 28 because of his drug arrest in June. He has a preliminary hearing set in the drug case for Aug. 8.