Montana Judge Explains Verdict Reversal in Insurance Case

A U.S. District Court judge has explained why he vacated the fraud conviction of a former Miss Montana who was charged with misrepresenting her housing conditions to an insurance company while her historic mansion was undergoing repairs.

Christin D. Didier was convicted in April of mail fraud and conspiracy for collecting nearly $123,000 for temporary housing in 2008. Prosecutors say she told insurers she was living in a large house that cost just over $15,000 a month when she was actually living in an 860-square-foot family-owned cabin with no indoor plumbing.

U.S. District Judge Donald Molloy vacated the conviction in July. The Daily Inter Lake reported Molloy’s explanation, filed Friday, said the insurance company owed Didier an amount sufficient to maintain her standard of living whether she used the money for housing or not.