Wyoming Federal Judges Sentence Seven Men For Robbery, Drug, Illegal Alien Crimes
Wyoming federal judges recently sentenced seven men for bank robbery, counterfeiting, firearms, drug and illegal alien crimes, according to news releases from the Wyoming U.S. Attorney's Office.
U.S. District Court Judge Alan Johnson sentenced Donald Alexander Sheriff, also known as Donald Sample, of Pocatello, Idaho, to 30 years of imprisonment for the bank robbery of the Wyochem Federal Credit Union in Green River and for the use of a firearm in that crime.
Johnson also ordered Sheriff, 60, to pay restitution of $178,375, the largest amount of money stolen in a bank robbery in Wyoming history.
He was an armed career criminal who robbed 10 banks between 1982 and 1989.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Green River Police Department, the Afton Police Department, and the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office.
Johnson sentenced Cristopher Arthur Lawrence, 25, of Evansville for being a felon in possession of a firearm. He received two years of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of probation, and was ordered to pay a $400 fine and a $100 special assessment.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Johnson also sentenced Agustin Gonzalez-Partida, 35, of Ciudad Guzman, Jalisco, Mexico, for illegal re-entry of a previously deported alien into the United States. He was arrested in Gillette. He received time served plus 10 days, was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment, and is subject to deportation upon release from custody.
Likewise, Chief U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Freudenthal sentenced Apolonio Mora-Flores, 54, of Zacatecas, Chihuahua, Mexico, for illegal re-entry of a previously deported alien into the United States. He received time served, plus 10 days, was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment, and is subject to deportation upon release from custody.
Both illegal alien cases were investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Freudenthal also sentenced Russ Jay Welch, Jr., 47, of Osage for counterfeiting and forging obligations or securities of the United States, and aiding and abetting. He received two years, three months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of probation, and was ordered to pay $210 in restitution and a $100 special assessment.
The U.S. Secret Service investigated this case.
U.S. District Court Judge Scott Skavdahl sentenced Arnulfo Morelos-Ramirez, 37, of La Huacana, Michoacan, Mexico, for use of a telephone facility to facilitate a felony drug arrest. Morelos-Ramirez was arrested in McAllen, Texas.
Morelos-Ramirez received one-and-a-half years of imprisonment, to be followed by one year of probation, was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment, and is subject to deportation upon release from custody.
This case resulted from an ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task joint investigation conducted by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking, weapons trafficking and money laundering organizations, and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illegal drug supply.
Skavdahl also sentenced Gates Matthew Lund, 34, of Sheridan for being a prohibited person in possession of firearms and abetting a false statement on connection with the acquisition of a firearm. He received six years of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of probation, and was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment.
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case.