Hiram Evans Sentenced in U.S. District Court
| U.S. Attorney’s Office July 26, 2013 |
The United States Attorney’s Office announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls, on July 26, 2013, before U.S. District Judge Dana L. Christensen, Hiram Evans, a 30-year-old resident of Browning and an enrolled member of the Blackfeet Tribe, was sentenced to a term of:
- Prison: 87 months, concurrent to a prior sentence
- Special assessment: $100
- Supervised release: five years
Evans was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to sexual abuse.
In an offer of proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan G. Weldon, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
On July 27, 2009, the female victim had been drinking with some individuals at a residence in Heart Butte, which is within the exterior boundaries of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.
The victim eventually went to bed. She woke up to someone hitting her. She recognized the individual as Evans, who proceeded to sexually assault her. The victim began yelling for her sister and tried to fight him off, but he was holding her down. After assaulting her, Evans left the residence and went to his house.
Law enforcement went to his residence where he was arrested. When questioned, Evans first denied assaulting the victim but finally admitted that he had although he denied using any force.
Because there is no parole in the federal system, the “truth in sentencing” guidelines mandate that Evans will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, Evans does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for “good behavior.” However, this reduction will not exceed 15 percent of the overall sentence.
The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.