Tony Cercy

CHEYENNE -- The second trial of former Casper businessman Tony Cercy in November, in which he was convicted of third-degree sexual assault and sentenced to a six- to eight-year prison term, violated his Fifth Amendment right to not be tried twice for the same crime, his attorney told the Wyoming Sup…

Casper man Tony Cercy was convicted of third-degree sexual assault of a 20-year-old woman and sentenced to a six- to eight year prison term.

The Wyoming Attorney General's Office has 45 days to respond to Cercy's appeal.

Tony Cercy's attorneys have argued in the past that the retrial on the third-degree count violated his Fifth Amendment right to not be tried twice for the same crime.

In February 2018, a jury in Natrona County District Court acquitted Cercy on the first- and second-degree counts, but deadlocked on the third-degree count.

Wyoming law since the mid-1980s no longer guarantees the right to be released on bond.

Because the case is before the Wyoming Supreme Court, the Wyoming Attorney General's Office will file a response.

This marks the third appeal Cercy has made to the Wyoming Supreme Court.

The victim read from a prepared statement about how Cercy's assault of her early June 24, 2017, has dramatically altered her life.

Tony Cercy could receive up to 15 years in prison.