Ketchikan Couple Indicted And Arraigned In Federal Court On Drug Conspiracy Charges

Anchorage, Alaska - United States Attorney Karen L. Loeffler announced today that Robert Duane Moriarty, 36, and Sara Skan, 34, of Ketchikan, Alaska, were indicted by a federal grand jury in Anchorage on April 21, 2015, on a single count of drug conspiracy.  Moriarty and Skan were arraigned yesterday in U.S. District Court in Ketchikan before Chief Magistrate Judge Deborah M. Smith.

According to the indictment, Moriarty and Skan conspired with each other and others to distribute and to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine and heroin in Ketchikan, Alaska, between September 2014 and January 28, 2015.  The United States is also seeking forfeiture of $1,009 in U.S. Currency in a separate forfeiture allegation.    

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jack S. Schmidt, who presented the case to the grand jury, indicated that the law provides for a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison, a fine of $5,000,000, or both.  Under the federal sentencing statutes, the actual sentence imposed will be based upon the seriousness of the offense(s) and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendants.  Both defendants are currently detained pending trial.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Port of Seattle Police Department, and the Ketchikan Police Department conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

An indictment is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial at which the government must prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.