Bill Mercer, United States Attorney for the District of Montana, announced today that during a federal court session in Missoula, on March 3, 2008, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeremiah C. Lynch, the following individual was arraigned:

BRANDON NEER, a 21-year-old resident of Helena, appeared on the charges of distribution/receipt of child pornography and possession of child pornography. He is currently released on special conditions. If convicted of these charges, NEER faces possible penalties of five to twenty years in prison, a $250,000 fine and lifetime supervised release. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marcia Hurd is the prosecutor for the United States. The investigation was conducted by a cooperative effort between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Helena Police Department.

The defendant pled not guilty to the charges.

The charge, an indictment, information or complaint, is merely an accusation and any person named as a defendant is 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.

Amy Finnegan
Legal Assistant
U.S. Attorney's Office
406-247-4621