FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, March 27, 2008
MARK ANDREW CHRISTENSEN SENTENCED IN U.S. DISTRICT COURT
Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Billings, on March 27, 2008, before Chief U.S. District Judge Richard F. Cebull, MARK ANDREW CHRISTENSEN, a 36-year-old resident of Great Falls, appeared for sentencing. CHRISTENSEN was sentenced to a term of:
- Prison: 24 months, consecutive to the coercion and enticement sentence
- Special Assessment: $100
- Supervised Release: 3 years
CHRISTENSEN was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to failure to appear for trial.
In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
CHRISTENSEN had been charged with coercion and enticement (attempt) in CR 06-85-BLG-RFC and had been given notice of the jury trial set for April 30, 2007, in Billings.
On the morning of trial, the court personnel, jury pool, prosecution and defense attorneys were present, but CHRISTENSEN failed to appear as ordered for trial and a warrant for his arrest was issued.
Investigation revealed that CHRISTENSEN had fled his home in Great Falls several days prior to the trial, withdrawing money from his accounts to finance his flight, and leaving notes for his employer and his wife. CHRISTENSEN'S notes explained that he fled to avoid conviction in federal court.
Law enforcement officers spent much time trying to track CHRISTENSEN'S whereabouts, and he was finally arrested in on July 16, 2007, in Vadar, Washington, while driving a vehicle with a recently expired registration.
Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that CHRISTENSEN will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, CHRISTENSEN does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcia K. Hurd prosecuted the case for the United States.
The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Billings Police Department and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
