JEANINE YELLOWHORSE 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 July 5, 2006, before U.S. District Judge Sam E. Haddon, JEANINE YELLOWHORSE, a 34-year-old resident of Browning, appeared for sentencing. YELLOWHORSE was sentenced to a term of:

* ? Prison: 46 months

* ? Restitution: $5,000

* ? Special Assessment: $100

* ? Supervised Release: 3 years

YELLOWHORSE was sentenced in connection with her guilty plea to involuntary manslaughter.

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

On April 6, 2004, at approximately 4:00 p.m., on BIA Route 1 on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, YELLOWHORSE was driving a pickup truck at approximately 80 miles per hour.

A witness who was driving behind YELLOWHORSE'S pickup would have testified that YELLOWHORSE'S pickup drove off the road and rolled and that the occupants of the vehicle were thrown from the vehicle.

The witness would have also testified that he saw YELLOWHORSE, the driver of the vehicle, on the ground near the truck and that he saw the passenger, Richard Snow, in the truck and that he was deceased.

The Glacier County Coroner found that Snow died as the result of injuries he suffered during the accident.

Forensic toxicology tests found that YELLOWHORSE'S blood alcohol concentration was .349 after the accident.

A Montana Highway Patrolman would have testified that the accident was caused by the driver's alcohol intoxication, inattentiveness, and operation of a motor vehicle at an excessive speed for the road conditions.

Because there is no parole in the federal system, the "truth in sentencing" guidelines mandate that YELLOWHORSE will likely serve all of the time imposed by the court. In the federal system, YELLOWHORSE 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 Joseph E. Thaggard prosecuted the case for the United States.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Browning.