Informational: Federal Court Arraignments
Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Great Falls, on March 27, 2009, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Keith Strong, the following individuals were arraigned:
DANA TODD MIREAU, a 40-year-old resident of Poplar, appeared on charges of aggravated sexual abuse and sexual abuse of a minor. He is currently detained. If convicted of these charges, MIREAU faces possible penalties of a mandatory minimum of 30 years in prison and could be sentenced to life, a $250,000 fine and lifetime supervision. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcia K. Hurd is the prosecutor for the United States. The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
JOSEPH McCONNELL, a 70-year-old resident of Frazer, appeared on a charge of aggravated sexual abuse. He is currently detained. If convicted of this charge, McCONNELL faces possible penalties of life in prison, a $250,000 fine and lifetime supervision. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcia K. Hurd is the prosecutor for the United States. The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
RICHARD CHARLES MORSETTE, a resident of Box Elder, appeared on a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon. He is currently detained. If convicted of this charge, MORSETTE faces possible penalties of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and 3 years supervised release. Assistant U.S. Attorney Vince Carroll is the prosecutor for the United States. The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
JASON XERXES DENNIS, age 39, appeared on charges of possession with the intent to distribute cocaine in a public housing facility and distribution of cocaine in a public housing facility. He is currently detained. If convicted of these charges, DENNIS faces possible penalties of a mandatory minimum of 1 year in prison and could be sentenced to 40 years, a $1,000,000 fine and 6 years supervised release on each count. Assistant U.S. Attorney Vince Carroll is the prosecutor for the United States. The investigation was conducted by the Blackfeet Safe Trails Task Force.
The defendants pled not guilty to the charges.
The charge, an indictment, information or complaint, is merely an accusation and all persons named as defendants are 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.
