Informational: Federal Court Arraignment

The United States Attorney’s Office announced that during a federal court session in Billings, on July 28, 2011, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carolyn S. Ostby, the following individual was arraigned:

JOSE AQUILAR, JR., a 21-year-old resident of Las Vegas, Nevada, appeared on charges of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, possession with the intent to distribute methamphetamine, distribution of methamphetamine, and possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime. He is currently detained. If convicted of these charges, AQUILAR faces possible penalties of a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and could be sentenced to life, a $4,000,000 fine, and at least five years’ supervised release. In addition, AQUILAR faces an additional mandatory five-year imprisonment, consecutive to any other sentence, for the use or possession of a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.

Assistant U.S. Attorney James E. Seykora is the prosecutor for the United States. The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Billings Big Sky Safe Streets Task Force.

The defendant 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.