FARGO - U.S. Attorney Timothy Q. Purdon announced that on May 29, 2013, Jamie Lee Belgarde of St. Michael, N.D., was sentenced before U.S. District Judge Ralph R. Erickson on a charge of involuntary manslaughter. Belgarde pleaded guilty to the charge on March 6, 2013.
Judge Erickson sentenced Belgarde to two years’ imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release. Belgarde was ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $4,500 to the Spirit Lake Tribe and to pay a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victim's Fund.
On June 23, 2012, Belgarde, 38, while intoxicated and driving at a high rate of speed, failed to negotiate a curve in the road, causing the vehicle to leave the road. The vehicle vaulted, rolled, and eventually came to rest upside down in a field.
Belgarde’s brother, Donald Belgarde, Jr., who was a passenger in the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene. The incident happened on the Spirit Lake Indian Reservation.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Janice M. Morley prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
