136 Montana prosecutors train on trafficking intelligence

A statewide Montana seminar brought 136 county attorneys and deputy county attorneys together to sharpen human trafficking prosecutions and close evidence gaps before trial. The session underscored how rural offices can use intelligence to build cases that hold up in court.

Why it matters: - Human trafficking cases often rise or fall on whether prosecutors can assemble enough evidence before trial. - Rural county offices may lack cybercrime staff, crime analysts or time to turn digital traces into a jury-ready case. - Better intelligence can help prosecutors decide earlier whether a case is chargeable and how to strengthen it.

What happened: - 136 Montana county attorneys and deputy county attorneys attended a human trafficking intelligence session during the Montana County Attorneys Association's 2026 Summer Prosecutor CLE Seminar. - The three-day seminar was held at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort in Whitefish, Montana. - DeliverFund founder and CEO Nic McKinley led the session. - The intelligence session followed a presentation on prosecuting State v. Yanbin Bao by Missoula County Deputy County Attorneys Andrea Haney and Katrina Thorness Duerk.

The details: - Haney and Thorness Duerk walked attendees through the case they built and won, including evidentiary gaps and how they closed them. - DeliverFund's intelligence supported that case, and Haney credited DeliverFund by name during her presentation. - McKinley said the session focused on what a strong trafficking intelligence package should contain and what prosecutors should ask investigators for early. - McKinley described public data as a central source of evidence in many trafficking cases. - McKinley said, "You have this subpoena gun. The data is the sight. It shows you where to point it. It shows you where to fire it. It shows you where to spend your cycles." - DeliverFund said it equips law enforcement with protective technology and actionable intelligence in the fight against human trafficking. - The seminar was sponsored in part by Westlaw, iCrimeFighter, Karpel Solutions and Pine Technologies.

Between the lines: - The seminar sequence was designed to move from a real Montana case to the intelligence tools prosecutors need to replicate that result. - The message to rural jurisdictions was practical: many trafficking cases stall because offices cannot assemble digital evidence into a clear narrative fast enough. - DeliverFund's pitch was not about making arrests. It was about helping the agencies and prosecutors who do make cases stick.

What's next: - Prosecutors left with a clearer sense of what trafficking intelligence can provide and what to request from investigators when a case first lands on their desk. - DeliverFund said its analysts continue to convert open-source data into actionable intelligence for more than 9,000 law enforcement officers and prosecutors nationwide at no cost. - The organization said it is funded entirely by private donors. - DeliverFund said it remains focused on applying counterterrorism intelligence methods to human traffickers.

The bottom line: - Montana's prosecutor seminar highlighted a simple gap in trafficking enforcement: arrests are only the start, and cases often hinge on whether prosecutors can get the right intelligence in time.