GARILYN NOMEE PLEADS GUILTY IN U.S. FEDERAL COURT

Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Billings on January 3, 2007, before Senior U.S. District Judge Jack D. Shanstrom, GARILYN NOMEE, a 31-year-old resident of Crow Agency, pled guilty to bank fraud. Sentencing is set for April 18, 2007. She is currently released on special conditions.

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

During June of 2006, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was contacted by Little Big Horn State Bank about approximately $10,000 in forged checks. The forged checks were from the account of the Lodge Grass Public School.

Copies of the forged checks showed that several of the checks were cashed at the local grocery store. Employees at the store identified NOMEE as the individual who had cashed the checks from the Lodge Grass School's account.

During the course of the investigation, law enforcement also obtained a CD from the video cameras at the Little Big Horn Casino. The cameras captured NOMEE at the casino window cashing a check. When the video was zoomed in on the check, it showed the check number, date, and that it was written on the Lodge Grass Public School's account in the amount of $462.

When NOMEE was questioned by law enforcement, she admitted that she had stolen checks from the Lodge Grass School and used a typewriter in the school library to fill out the checks. NOMEE also admitted that she had cashed checks at the local grocery store and at the casino. At the time of the theft, NOMEE had been a part-time employee at the Lodge Grass School.

NOMEE faces possible penalties of 30 years in prison, a $1,000,000 fine and 5 years supervised release.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Lori Harper Suek prosecuted the case for the United States.

The investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

United States Attorney's Office for the District of Montana
P.O. Box 1478
Billings, MT 59103

CONTACT
Kurt Alme
First Assistant U.S. Attorney
(406) 246-4669