On November 24 Wildfire Today told you about David Monington, who was:
…indicted last week in federal court in Rapid City, SD on two counts of mail fraud and one count of wire fraud.
The indictment alleges he forged about 14 signatures of South Dakota firefighting officials in an attempt to gain certification from the National Wildfire Suppression Association. The documents fraudulently attest to his training and experience as a firefighter.
“A number of the printed names and signatures of certifying officials were misspelled, while others were followed by incorrect listings of the certifying officials’ titles,” the indictment states.
Monington also was arrested in Miles City late last year on theft charges related to his fire business.
The Associated Press has an update on the case, saying that Monington pleaded not guilty:
RAPID CITY, S.D.; U.S. Attorney Marty Jackley says a former South Dakotan accused of claiming he had firefighter qualifications when he actually did not has pleaded not guilty to wire fraud and mail fraud.
Prosecutors accuse 31-year-old David Monington of sending or receiving documents containing falsified signatures of high-ranking South Dakota state firefighting officials and others. Jackley says Monington was trying to convince the National Wildfire Suppression Association that he had certain qualifications so he could be certified as a firefighter instructor.
But the federal indictment says a number of the printed names and signatures of certifying officials were misspelled, while others had incorrect titles of the officials.
The maximum penalty for a conviction of both charges is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
No trial date has been set.