Evansville man sentenced for willfully injuring government property
Stephen Clifford Swingle, age 45, of Evansville, Wyoming, was sentenced to six years’ probation for willfully injuring government property. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence on Feb. 20 and ordered the defendant to pay $5,839.50 in restitution.
Swingle pled guilty to the charges on Nov. 16, 2023. According to court documents, starting in August 2022, campground fee tubes at the Muddy Mountain Environmental Education Area in Natrona County were broken into four times resulting in the theft of camping fees and significant property damage. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) placed game cameras in the area and captured multiple images of Swingle and his truck in the area around the time of the break-ins. When interviewed by investigators, Swingle admitted to breaking into and stealing the fee tubes.
This crime was investigated by the BLM and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christyne Martens.
Powell man sentenced for defrauding the U.S. Forest Service
Ronald Ostrom, age 54, of Powell, Wyoming, was sentenced to two years’ probation, including six months of home confinement, for 6 felony convictions related to stealing a horse owned by the U.S. Forest Service. The sentence also included restitution in the amount of $11,747, a fine of $2,500, and special assessments totaling $600.
Ostrom was convicted by a federal jury in Nov. 2023 on one count of stealing government property, one count of concealing and retaining government property, two counts of making false documents, and two counts of making false statements. Ostrom is a retired U.S. Forest Service employee. According to evidence presented at trial, and the jury’s verdict, Ostrom stole a government-owned horse when he retired from the Forest Service and made multiple false statements to cover up this theft.
This crime was investigated by the U.S. Forest Service and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Elmore.
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