Whitefish man pleads not guilty to fraud charges

A Whitefish man has pleaded not guilty in federal court to several felony charges that include money laundering, tax evasion and wire fraud.

Matthew Anthony Marshall, 49, of Whitefish, made his plea July 30 in Missoula before U.S. Magistrate Judge Kathleen L. DeSoto.

If convicted of the most serious crime, Marshall faces a maximum 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release. Marshall was released pending further proceedings. The FBI and IRS investigated the case.

According to charging documents, Marshall perpetuated his alleged scheme between April 20, 2013, and March 21, 2016, when he convinced a man identified as “John Doe” he was a former CIA agent and former member of an elite unit in the U.S. Marine Corps who had engaged in covert missions around the world.

Marshall allegedly asked “John Doe” to fund “off the books” missions for the CIA. Marshall reportedly told the victim the missions would involve assault teams he would lead on rescue and other operations in foreign countries.

According to the court documents, the victim wired a total of $2.3 million to Marshall. Marshall allegedly used the money for personal living expenses, personal travel, as well as loans and gifts to friends and business associates.

A pretrial hearing for Marshall is scheduled in Missoula at 9:45 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12, in Missoula.

Marshall’s bail conditions include not being permitted to travel outside of Montana; he is not allowed to possess a gun, destructive device or other weapon and he may not have contact with the victim, witnesses or co-conspirators.

Scott Shindledecker may be reached at 758-4441 or sshindledecker@dailyinterlake.com