Rocky Boy embezzler sentence delayed

A Havre businessman and former Havre District School Board chairman a was to be sentenced today in federal court but the hearing was delayed over a plea agreement.

Shad James Huston, who pleaded guilty to theft from an Indian tribal organization, failure to file currency transaction reports and bribery, has been given a chance to redact his guilty plea after his lawyer contested the nature of one the counts.

Huston previously pleaded guilty to accepting a payment of $300,000 from Tony Belcourt, who has already been sentenced for embezzlement, but his lawyer is now contesting the nature of his guilty plea for this charge.

"I'm not going to sentence a person who didn't think they did any crimes," Judge Brian Morris said.

Though Huston's lawyer wanted to explain the plea to Morris rather than move the hearing, Morris said he was not going to waste three hours of everyone's time to make the same decision.

Morris gave Huston and his attorney the option of withdrawing his guilty plea and going to trial, should they so choose.

The case has been moved to May 14 at Missouri River Federal Courthouse in Great Falls.