FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
TRAVIS RAY BENDER PLEADS GUILTY IN U.S. FEDERAL COURT
Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Great Falls on April 1, 2008, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, TRAVIS RAY BENDER, a 32-year-old resident of Sand Coulee, pled guilty to being a felon-in-possession of a firearm. Sentencing is set for July 31, 2008. He is currently detained.
In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
In 1997, BENDER was convicted of felony aggravated assault in Cascade County. As a result of this conviction, he was prohibited from possessing firearms.
On October 27, 2007, in Cascade County, BENDER came into contact with a Montana Fish and Game Warden in relation to an investigation into BENDER'S failure to properly tag a deer he had recently harvested. At that time, BENDER was found to be in possession of a bolt action rifle which he admitted to using to shoot and kill the animal.
During a routine identification check, it was determined that BENDER was a registered violent offender and on probation for a Montana felony conviction.
BENDER faces possible penalties of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and 3 years supervised release.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kory Larsen prosecuted the case for the United States.
The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
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A copy of the Offer of Proof can be obtained by contacting Sally Frank at (406) 247-4638.
