Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

The U.S. Attorney’s Office announced that the following persons were arraigned or appeared this week before U.S. Magistrate judges on indictments handed down by the grand jury or on criminal complaints. The charging documents are merely accusations and defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt:

Appearing in Great Falls before U.S. Magistrate Judge John T. Johnston and pleading not guilty on July 18 was:

Jonathan Ray Gonsalez, 39, of Box Elder, on charges of sexual abuse, coercion and enticement and possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. If convicted of the most serious crime, Gonsalez faces life in prison, a $250,000 fine and five years to life of supervised release. Gonsalez was detained pending further proceedings. The FBI and Rocky Boy’s Police Department conducted the investigation. PACER case reference 23-65.

Joshua Raymond Suave, 34, of Great Falls, on charges of prohibited person in possession of a firearm and false statement during a firearms transaction. If convicted of the most serious crime, Suave faces a maximum of 10 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Suave was detained pending further proceedings. The Great Falls Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. PACER case reference 22-110.

Robert Ray Thoroughman, 61, of Fort Shaw, on charges of prohibited person in possession of a firearm. If convicted of the most serious crime, Thoroughman faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Thoroughman was detained pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Cascade County Sheriff’s Office investigated the case. PACER case reference 23-57.

Appearing in Billings before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy J. Cavan and pleading not guilty on July 18 was:

Eric Fredrick Welch Jr., 22, of Billings, on charges of theft from a federal firearm licensee and possession of stolen firearms. If convicted of the most serious crime, Welch faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Welch was detained pending further proceedings. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Billings Police Department conducted the investigation. PACER case reference 23-84.

The progress of cases may be monitored through the U.S. District Court Calendar and the PACER system. To establish a PACER account, which provides electronic access to review documents filed in a case, please visit http://www.pacer.gov/register.html. To access the District Court’s calendar, please visit https://ecf.mtd.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/PublicCalendar.pl.

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