RUBEN LOREN STUMP SENTENCED IN U.S. DISTRICT COURT

Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Great Falls, on August 28, 2006, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, REUBEN LOREN STUMP, a 31-year-old resident of Box Elder, appeared for sentencing. STUMP was sentenced to a term of:

* ? Prison: 10 months
* ? Special Assessment: $100
* ? Supervised Release: 1 year

STUMP was sentenced in connection with his guilty plea to attempting to obtain a controlled substance by forgery.

In an Offer of Proof filed by the United States, the government stated it would have proved at trial the following:

On November 2, 2005, STUMP was given a prescription for four drugs by a local physician. STUMP then asked his grandmother to drop off the prescription at the Rocky Boy's Tribal Clinic Pharmacy for him.

A pharmacy aide at the Tribal Clinic filled the first four medications listed on the prescription but noticed that the fifth medication did not look normal. The aide then notified the chief pharmacist of his observations and concerns regarding the fifth medication.

Later in the day, STUMP went to the pharmacy to pick up his medications and asked why the fifth medication had not been filled. The pharmacy aide advised STUMP to contact the physician that had written the prescription.

The physician would have testified that the fifth medication listed on the prescription had been forged.

When questioned, STUMP admitted to an FBI agent that he had forged the prescription note in an effort to obtain hyrdocodone.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that STUMP will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, STUMP does have the opportunity to earn a sentence reduction for "good behavior." However, this reduction will not exceed 15% of the overall sentence.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna S. Peckham prosecuted the case for the United States.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.