Casper Man Sentenced in Federal Court for Gun Violation
A Casper man serving time for a state court conviction was sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for a firearm violation in federal court on Friday, according to minutes of the hearing.
U.S. District Court Judge Scott Skavdahl handed down the sentence to Eric Phifer for being a felon and unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm, according to the minutes of the hearing.
This federal sentence will be served consecutively to Phifer's sentence handed down in state district court after he violated his probation last year.
Phifer, 42, was indicted in January by the Wyoming U.S. Attorney.
In November 2015, Phifer pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a deadly weapon with unlawful intent for threatening his mother and sister with a machete.
In March 2016, District Court Judge Catherine Wilking handed down a suspended four- to five-year prison sentence and placed him on five years of supervised probation.
But on Aug. 20, 2018, Phifer was arrested after his mother called police to say he was having a nervous breakdown.
A week later, his probation and parole officer filed an affidavit to revoke his probation for possession of a firearm by a violent felon, use of methamphetamine, and possession of methamphetamine and paraphernalia.
On Dec. 27, Wilking revoked his probation and sentenced him to prison for three years to four-and-a-half years.