North Dakota Men Sentenced for Crimes Against Federal Officials

SIOUX FALLS, SD—U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that two Rolette, North Dakota men convicted of various crimes against federal officials were sentenced today by United States District Judge Charles B. Kornmann in Bismarck, North Dakota. Michael H. Reed, age 50, and Gregory A. Davis, age 44, were sentenced today for their role in filing a false $3.4 million lien against United States District Judge Daniel Hovland of North Dakota and Acting North Dakota United States Attorney Lynn C. Jordheim. Michael H. Reed was also sentenced on charges that he made threatening phone calls to both the FBI and to the chambers of United States District Judge Ralph Erickson. On the five felonies, Reed was sentenced to 108 months in custody to be followed by supervised release for three years. Davis was sentenced on three felonies to 41 months in custody followed by three years of supervised release.

Both Reed and Davis were convicted of multiple felonies on October 14, 2010, by a federal jury in Bismarck, North Dakota, upon the completion of a three-day trial. In May of 2009, Reed made a threatening phone call to U.S. District Judge Ralph Erickson demanding that Erickson dismiss a federal case against two other individuals. In the voice mail message that Reed left for Judge Erickson, Reed accused Erickson of violating his oath and advised Judge Erickson that Reed would file a show cause motion in front of Congress if Judge Erickson did not immediately dismiss the case. In June of 2009, Reed left a voice mail message for an FBI special agent indicating that Judge Erickson would “get the trigger pulled on him.”

In January of 2010, Reed and Gregory A. Davis conspired to file and did file a false lien against U.S. District Judge Daniel Hovland and Acting U.S. Attorney Lynn Jordheim. These documents were filed and recorded as official records in the Washington, D.C. Recorder of Deeds Office. Prior recorded phone messages at a correctional facility in Rugby, North Dakota, revealed conversations between Reed and Davis wherein they discussed the filing of the false lien against the federal officials.

This case was investigated by the FBI, the Rolette County Sheriff’s Office, and the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation. Because the case involved a federal judge from North Dakota and the Acting U.S. Attorney from North Dakota, the case was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in South Dakota and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas J. Wright. Both men were immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshal.