Informational: Federal Court Arraignment

The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Missoula, on June 19, 2013, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah C. Lynch, the following individual was arraigned:

JOSHUA HAMPTON MURPHY, a 29-year-old resident of Flint, Michigan, appeared on charges of conspiracy to distribute heroin and possession with the intent to distribute heroin. He is currently detained. If convicted of these charges, MURPHY faces possible penalties of a mandatory minimum of 5 years and could be sentenced to 40 years, a $5,000,000 fine and 4 years supervised release. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Racicot is the prosecutor for the United States. The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Missouri River Drug Task Force.

The defendant pled not guilty to the charges.

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.