Lost Collectibles And Cash Spark Legal Showdown In Wyoming

A 36-year-old Cheyenne man, Timothy Duke, appealed the court's orders to pay over a half a million dollars in restitution after being found guilty of grand theft with several co-defendants last year.

He was sentenced to serve five to eight years on top of paying the victim $507,000 for their losses, but appealed the court's decision. The Wyoming Supreme Court, however, upheld the order.

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In December of 2023, a Cheyenne homeowner arrived at one of his three properties to pick up mail. When he got there he found the door ajar and the place had been "ransacked."

Household items were missing, piles of paper were thrown and strewn throughout the house, cash, coins, guns, and more collectibles all gone.

Then he went to his other two houses, and they had also been burglarized.

After an investigation, the police identified Timothy Duke, and several other codefendants, as the burglars.

When police searched Duke’s home, vehicle, and trailer, they found several items belonging to the vict6im, including gold and silver coins, a bag of money, and 29 guns. The police returned many of the stolen items, but not all were recovered.

It was hard to determine what all had been stolen, but the victim made a list from memory including 100 guns, 400 antique police badges, 600 Wyoming tokens and medals, a bag of $55,000 in silver dollars, $25,000 in other silver coins, $2,000 in Christmas ornaments, thousands in tools and $180,000 cash. In a hearing later, the victim explained that the houses were inherited by his parents, who did not trust banks -- hence the piles of money.

He did not request restitution for all the missing coins because the value was not "calculable."

Over 150 guns had been stolen from the three houses, and the police were able to recover 50.

Given the victim's “significant history” as a collector, the district court found his estimated values were accurate, if not conservative.

The Wyoming Supreme Court affirms their decision.