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Basil sentenced
for
misprision of a felony |
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February 5, 2011 |
 Twyla
Dawn Basil, 33, Bonners Ferry, was sentenced by
federal judge Edward J. Lodge to four
months in a residential re-entry center, three
years probation and three years probation after
pleading guilty in federal court to
misprision of a felony.
As part of probation, she must obtain her
general equivalency diploma (GED), and complete
40 hours of community service.
She entered the plea October 31, admitting that
she'd acted as lookout for two people who
entered her uncle's home at the Kootenai Tribal
Mission and stole firearms. Because the crime
occurred on tribal lands and Basil and the
victim are both members of the Kootenai Tribe,
the FBI assisted the Boundary County Sheriff's
Office in the investigation and the case was
prosecuted in federal court with U.S. Attorney
Wendy J. Olsen prosecuting.
While seldom heard in modern courts of law, the
crime of misprision of a felony has been on the
books in many states for centuries, adapted from
an old English law in effect since the 1400s.
It's defined as "whoever,
having knowledge of the actual commission of a
felony cognizable by a court of the U.S.,
conceals and does not as soon as possible make
known the same to some judge or other person in
civil or military authority under the U.S. 18
USC Misprision of felony, is the like
concealment of felony, without giving any degree
of maintenance to the felon for if any aid be
given him, the party becomes an accessory after
the fact."
In Idaho,she faced a maximum of up to three
years in prison, a fine up to $250,000, and up
to one year of supervised release. |
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