BANGOR, Maine — Brothers from Milford who have been incarcerated in Florida for the past three years pleaded not guilty to gun charges Tuesday in U.S. District Court.
Matthew Midgette, 34, and Richard Midgette, 35, were indicted separately by the federal grand jury in August 2013 on one count each of being a felon in possession of a firearm and possession of four stolen firearms.
The charges stemmed from an incident in early January 2011, according to the indictments. Details about the nature of the incident were not available on the court system’s electronic case filing system.
Richard Midgette was arrested Jan. 20 and Matthew Midgette was arrested the next day by the U.S. Marshal Service at the Florida prisons where they are serving sentences for burglary and theft.
The brothers are being held without bail at the Somerset County Jail while the federal case is pending in Maine. It was unclear Tuesday whether they will earn time toward their Florida sentence while awaiting trial.
Matthew Midgette was been serving a five-year sentence at Blackwater River Correctional Facility in Milton, Florida, according to information posted on the Department of Corrections’ website. Richard Midgette was serving a 10-year sentence at the Wakulla Correctional Institute in Crawfordville, Florida. Both cities are located in the Panhandle.
The men were convicted in Orange County, where Orlando is located, in connection with an incident in April 2011. Details about what led to the charges and their sentences were not available Tuesday.
Matthew Midgette was due to be released in July. Richard Midgette was due to be released in April 2020.
If convicted on the federal gun charges, Matthew Midgette faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years and a maximum of life in prison because of his long criminal history, which spans Maine, Georgia and Florida.
Richard Midgette, who has felony convictions in Georgia and Florida, faces up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted.
Both men could be ordered to pay fines of up to $250,000.