Two men from Miami, Fla., were recently sentenced in federal court in Casper for their roles in a credit card fraud conspiracy, according to a news release from the Wyoming U.S. Attorney's Office.

Federal judges also sentenced a Casper man for drug and firearms crimes, and for illegal alien crimes, according to other news releases.

U.S. District Court Judge Scott Skavdahl in Casper sentenced Jason Albert Leslie, Jr., and Tafari Shaile Lawrence, both of Miami, Fla., to prison for credit card fraud.

Leslie, 26, and Lawrence, 29, previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy for their participation in a scheme to use fraudulently obtained Citibank credit cards to purchase prepaid debit cards at Walmart stores in several states.

The Citibank cards were fraudulently obtained by unknown persons using fabricated and stolen identity information. Leslie and Lawrence received the unauthorized credit cards and traveled to Walmart stores to buy prepaid debit cards in late June and July 2016. They then wired money to other members of the conspiracy.

Leslie and Lawrence were found and arrested during a traffic stop by Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers south of Laramie on July 30, 2016.

Skavdahl sentenced Lawrence to one-and-a-half years of imprisonment, to be followed by two years of supervised release.

He also sentenced Leslie to two-and-a-half years of imprisonment, to be followed by three years supervised release.

The judge also ordered both men to pay $222,756.08 in restitution to Citibank.
This case was investigated by special agents of the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation with assistance from the U.S. Secret Service. The case was prosecuted by Wyoming Assistant U.S. Attorney Eric Heimann.

In another case, U.S. District Court Judge Alan Johnson sentenced Jacob Alan Dziewic, 26, of Casper for carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime. Dziewic received five years of imprisonment, to be followed by four years of supervised release. Johnson also ordered him to pay a $500 fine and a $100 special assessment.

The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated this case.

Chief U.S. District Court Judge Nancy Freudenthal recently sentenced six men for illegal re-entry of a previously deported alien into the United States.

The six men were sentenced to time served plus 10 days to allow for deportation proceedings, and were ordered to pay $100 special assessments when they are deported.

All cases were investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency.

The defendants are:

  • Joshua Diaz-Mendoza, 21, of Almoyola de Alquisiros, Mexico, who was arrested in Campbell County.
  • Sosimo Gonzales-de la Cruz, 34, of Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico, who was arrested in Shoshoni.
  • Domingo Juarez-Francisco, 32, of Huehuetenango, Guatemala, who was arrested in Shoshoni.
  • Felipe Quiroz-Merino, 50, of Oaxaca, Mexico, who was arrested in Jackson.
  • Timoteo Ramirez-Ioc, 39, of Col. De Cuauhtemoc, Motozintla, Chiapas, Mexico, who was arrested in Jackson.
  • Carlos Perez-Lopez, 36, of Puebla, Mexico, who was arrested in Jackson.

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