The United States Attorney's Office announced that during a federal court session in Great Falls, on May 22, 2013, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Keith Strong, the following individual was arraigned:
PATRICK CHARLES THOMAS, a 55-year-old resident of Cut Bank, appeared on charges of violation of the False Claims Act, conversion of secured property, and federal agricultural loan fraud/false writing. He is currently released on special conditions. If convicted of these charges, THOMAS faces possible penalties of 5 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and 3 years supervised release on each count. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carl E. Rostad is the prosecutor for the United States. The investigation was a cooperative effort between the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
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.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
