Shelby woman convicted of attempting to harbor illegal aliens

Note: The U.S. Attorney's quote was corrected on July 10, 2025, at approximately 1:20 p.m.

GREAT FALLS – A Shelby woman who attempted to harbor illegal aliens was found guilty by a federal jury yesterday, U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme said.

Following a two-day trial, Kristin Louise Mitchell, 41, was found guilty of one count of attempted harboring of illegal aliens. Mitchell faces 5 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years of supervised release.

Chief U.S. District Brian M. Morris presided and will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing was set for November 5, 2025. Mitchell will remain released on conditions pending further proceedings.

“Mitchell attempted to harbor illegal aliens. Those who are illegally in the United States need to leave. Those who try to hide them, especially aliens like Porfirio Alexander Suarez, who allegedly possessed a firearm in November 2023 when he was encountered by law enforcement in Texas, are committing a crime and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I want to thank the Assistant U.S. Attorneys who prosecuted this case, the staff in our office for their assistance, and the law enforcement agents from the Toole County Sheriff’s Office, Montana Highway Patrol, and the U.S. Border Patrol for their hard work on the case.” U.S. Attorney Alme said.

The government alleged in court documents that on February 21, 2025, a Montana Highway Patrol (MHP) officer encountered individuals during a traffic stop in Gallatin County. The stop was predicated on the vehicle displaying fictitious plates. The MHP officer cited the driver, Suarez, for the license plate violation and released the vehicle. On February 25, 2025, a Sweetgrass Station Border Patrol Agent ran a registration check on a temporary Montana vehicle tag in Shelby that came back to the same vehicle cited in the February 21 stop.

On March 4, 2025, Border Patrol Agents observed Mitchell driving the same vehicle with two male occupants, including Suarez. Officers from the Toole County Sheriff’s Office also saw Mitchell driving the car and they conducted a traffic stop when the car failed to stop at an intersection. Mitchell was driving and told the deputies the two men with her were political asylees and did not speak English. The deputies contacted Border Patrol for assistance.

A Border Patrol agent responded to the call and recognized Mitchell due to a prior encounter at the northern border. The agent attempted to speak with the two passengers in English and then in Spanish. When the agent asked the men about their citizenship, Mitchell answered for them and claimed they were political asylees from Venezuela. She also referred to one of the individuals as her boyfriend. Neither of the men could produce any documents to verify their status.

The three occupants of the vehicle, including Mitchell, were detained and taken to the Sweetgrass Border Patrol Station. Records checks on the other passengers revealed their identities as citizens of Venezuela, and neither had a record of being legally admitted into the country. Mitchell is a United States citizen and has multiple prior convictions for immigration offenses.

Meanwhile, while the traffic stop was ongoing, other Border Patrol officers surveilling Mitchell’s home saw a third man outside the house; this man matched a description of one of the men encountered during the February 21 MHP stop in Gallatin County. He was detained and admitted he had been previously removed from the United States. Border Patrol determined this individual as a citizen of Honduras.

One of the individuals was deposed in April 2025 and testified he was working on a commercial construction site near Bozeman for a man who refused to pay them, leaving him stranded. One of the Venezuelans knew Mitchell and they decided to drive to Shelby to stay with her. En route to Shelby, the men stopped at a Walmart and bought bottles of margaritas. They were stopped in East Helena and the driver was arrested for DUI. Mitchell was contacted and drove from Shelby to East Helena to bail the driver out of jail and collect the car, which was released to her. The three aliens then stayed with Mitchell at her home in Shelby for a few days before they were arrested.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Border Patrol, Montana Highway Patrol and Toole County Sheriff’s Office.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

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