The Associated Press
RAPID CITY, SD — 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.