FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, February 28, 2008
INFORMATIONAL: FEDERAL COURT ARRAIGNMENT
Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Missoula, on February 28, 2008, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah C. Lynch, the following individual was arraigned:
KENT ETCHISON, a resident of Kalispell and near Tacoma, appeared on a charge of mail fraud. He is currently released on special conditions. If convicted of this charge, ETCHISON faces possible penalties of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and 5 years supervised release. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Racicot is the prosecutor for the United States. The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Secret Service.
The defendant pled not guilty to the charge.
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.
