Informational: Federal Court Arraignment
| U.S. Attorney’s Office January 04, 2012 |
The United States Attorney’s Office announced that during a federal court session in Billings on January 3, 2012, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carolyn S. Ostby, the following individual was arraigned:
GUADALUPE RODRIGUEZ, III, a 24-year-old resident of Hardin, appeared on a charge of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute methamphetamine. He is currently detained. If convicted of this charge, RODRIGUEZ faces possible penalties of a mandatory minimum 10 years in prison and could be sentenced to life, a $4,000,000 fine and five years’ supervised release. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Harper Suek is the prosecutor for the United States. The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The defendant pled not guilty to the charge.
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.