Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Great Falls, on June 2, 2009, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Keith Strong, the following individual was arraigned:

SHERMAN LAVALLIE, JR., a 19-year-old resident of Harlem, appeared on a charge of abusive sexual contact. He is currently detained. If convicted of this charge, LAVALLIE faces possible penalties of life in prison, a $250,000 fine and 5 years supervised release. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rebekah J. French is the prosecutor for the United States. The investigation wasa cooperative effort between the Fort Belknap Tribal Law Enforcement and 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 any person named as a defendant is 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.

 

 

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