Informational: Federal Court Arraignments

The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Billings, on February 11, 2013, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Carolyn S. Ostby, the following individuals were arraigned:

BENJAMIN QUINN McCHESNEY, a 35-year-old resident of Billings, appeared on charges of kidnaping and kidnaping involving a minor. If convicted of these charges, McCHESNEY faces possible penalties of life in prison, a $250,000 fine, and 5 years supervised release on each count. McCHESNEY also appeared on charges of conspiracy to use firearms during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime, theft of firearms from a licensed dealer, theft of firearms in interstate commerce, and possession of stolen firearms. If convicted of these charges, McCHESNEY faces possible penalties of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years supervised release on the first count, and 10 years in prison for each of the remaining three counts. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Ed Zink is the prosecutor for the United States. The investigation was a cooperative effort between the Billings Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the United States Marshals Service.

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.