Robert Donald Ahenakew Sentenced in U.S. District Court
| U.S. Attorney’s Office September 21, 2012 |
The United States Attorney’s Office announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls on September 20, 2012, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, ROBERT DONALD AHENAKEW, a 32-year-old resident of Browning, appeared for sentencing. AHENAKEW was sentenced to a term of:
- Prison: 41 months
- Special Assessment: $100
- Supervised Release: three years
AHENAKEW was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to burglary.
In an offer of proof filed by Assistant U.S. Attorney Laura B. Weiss, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:
ROBERT DONALD AHENAKEW is an enrolled member of a federally recognized tribe. The following events took place within the exterior boundaries of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation.
On or about December 11, 2010, ROBERT AHENAKEW and Ivan Dean Ingraham kicked down the door of a residence on the Blackfeet Reservation and entered without permission. AHENAKEW had been at the house earlier and was escorted out following an argument over cigarettes. AHENAKEW then recruited Ivan Dean Ingraham so they could return to the house to “get a fair fight.” Two other individuals were in tow but did not enter the house.
There were people occupying the residence when the group returned, including a male who worked to move the altercation out to the yard. AHENAKEW was apprehended at the scene while in the process of confronting a neighbor who witnessed part of the yard events from his neighboring home.
Ingraham pled guilty to federal charges and has been sentenced.
Because there is no parole in the federal system, the “truth in sentencing” guidelines mandate that AHENAKEW will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, AHENAKEW 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 Blackfeet Law Enforcement Services.