Two Plead Guilty to ATM Heists

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Two men who stole an automatic teller machine in Douglas have pleaded guilty in federal court in Casper in the past week.

Matthew Taber Annable pleaded guilty to theft of an ATM and aiding and abetting before U.S. District Judge Scott Skavdahl in a hearing on Wednesday.

His accomplice, Nathan Paul Davenport, entered the same plea to the same count on May 22.

The men stole the money from the ATM at the Converse County Bank in Douglas on Dec. 8 by cutting its mounting bolts, placing a chain around it, and pulling it from its base with a pickup truck, according to news reports. That heist netted them $74,020, according to court records.

During the hearing Wednesday, federal public defender David Weiss asked Annable about his role in the Douglas robbery. Annable answered that he drove Davenport from Casper to Douglas with the knowledge they would steal from the ATM.

After Annable's formal plea, Skavdahl said a second count of taking more than $5,000 in stolen cash across state lines will be dismissed at their sentencings scheduled in August.

They could face up to 10 years behind bars, Skavdahl said, adding that he's waiting for the presentence reports before making a decision.

But whatever sentence he hands down applies only to Wyoming and not other states, he said.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Shugart prosecuted the case in Wyoming, but declined to comment on other indictments only saying "There's an ongoing investigation by the FBI."

Annable and Davenport, formerly of Bonners Ferry, Idaho, are under indictment in Idaho for robbing ATMs for about $130,000 more from ATMs in Idaho, Utah and Colorado, according to court records.

They were caught Jan. 12 after robbing an ATM in McCall, Idaho, where they used a Ruger semiautomatic rifle to shoot at pursuing police officers, according to the indictment.

Use of a firearm in the commission of a felony carries an automatic 10 years to life behind bars, Idaho U.S. Attorney Wendy Olson said in a press release. Other charges and penalties facing the defendants include bank larceny with a dangerous weapon — up to 25 years in prison; bank larceny — up to 10 years; and conspiracy to commit bank larceny — up to three years.