Federal Court Arraignments For May 12, 2023

The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that the following persons were arraigned or appeared this week before U.S. Magistrate judges on indictments handed down by the Grand Jury or on criminal complaints. The charging documents are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty:

Appearing in Missoula before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto and pleading not guilty on May 12 was:

Max Gaylord Stout, 35, of Billings, on charges of felon in possession of a firearm and drug user and addict in possession of firearms and ammunition. If convicted of the most serious crime, Stout faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Stout was detained pending further proceedings. The Kalispell Police Department, Flathead County Sheriff’s Office, Montana Crime Lab and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-62.

Tracy Jean Bell, 50, of Beaverton, Oregon, on charges of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute meth. If convicted of the most serious crime, Bell faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release. Bell was detained pending further proceedings. The Missoula County Sheriff’s Office, Missoula Police Department, Northwest Montana Drug Task Force and Drug Enforcement Administration investigated the case. PACER case reference. 22-23.

Appearing in Billings before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan and pleading not guilty on May 10 was:

Mariana Tyler Wallace, 22, of Okanogan, Washington, on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances and possession with intent to distribute controlled substances. If convicted of the most serious crime, Wallace faces a mandatory minimum 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release. Wallace was detained pending further proceedings. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Indian Affairs and FBI investigated the case. PACER case reference. 23-55

Gregory Jacob Porterfield, 35, of Billings, on charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute controlled substances, possession with intent to distribute controlled substances and distribution of controlled substances. If convicted of the most serious crime, Porterfield faces a mandatory minimum of 10 years to life in prison, a $10 million fine and at least five years of supervised release. Porterfield was detained pending further proceedings. The Eastern Montana High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Task Force investigated the case. PACER case reference. 23-54.

Savas Christian Lewis Howard, 26, of Billings, on charges of theft from a federal firearm licensee, possession of stolen firearms and prohibited person in possession of a firearm. If convicted of the most serious crime, Howard faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Howard was detained pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Billings Police Department investigated the case. PACER case reference. 23-53.

Appearing in Great Falls before U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Johnston and pleading not guilty on May 9 was:

Marvin James Cole, 27, of Dodson, on charges of assault resulting in serious bodily injury. If convicted of the most serious crime, Cole faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Cole was released pending further proceedings. The FBI, Fort Belknap Law Enforcement, Montana Highway Patrol and Phillips County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. PACER case reference. 23-29.

The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.