Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Great Falls, on January 13, 2009, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, the following individual was arraigned:

BERTHA MARIE SMITH, a 26-year-old resident of Wolf Point, appeared on a charge of making false statements. If convicted of this charge, SMITH faces possible penalties of 8 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and 3 years supervised release. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebekah J. French is the prosecutor for the United States. The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Fort Peck Tribes Criminal Investigation Division and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in Glasgow

The defendant pled not guilty to the charges.

The charge, an indictment, information or complaint, is merely an accusation and any person named as a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty. A pre-trial conference and a trial date will be set and the United States will be required to prove the allegations set forth in the indictment beyond a reasonable doubt.

 

 

Return to Top