U.S. attorney appeals ruling in fraud case

An assistant U.S. attorney in Missoula is appealing a federal judge’s decision overturning a jury’s guilty verdict against a former beauty queen and her co-defendant on a pair of federal mail fraud charges.

Christin Didier, a former Miss Montana USA and previous owner of the historic Somers mansion, was convicted by a federal jury in March of seven counts of mail fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud.

However, U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy granted motions acquitting both Didier and her codefendant, Surayya Nasir, on July 31, overturning their convictions and conditionally granting a motion for a new trial for Nasir.

On Aug. 26, Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Racicot filed an appeal to the orders in both cases.

A decision on the appeal likely will not occur until sometime in 2014.