Federal Judges Sentence Five Men For Drugs, Manslaughter, Child Porn

Federal judges sentenced five men in the past week for drug, child pornography and involuntary manslaughter offenses, according to the Wyoming U.S. Attorney's Office.

U.S. District Court Judge Alan Johnson sentenced Paul E. Draper, 35, of Hanna on Thursday for conspiracy to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. Johnson sentenced Draper to two years, nine months imprisonment to be followed by four years of probation, and ordered him to pay a $250 fine and a $100 special assessment.

In another methamphetamine case, Johnson sentenced Beau Spain, 38, of Sacramento, Calif., on Thursday for conspiracy to distribute 500 grams or more of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine. Johnson sentenced Spain to 10 years imprisonment to be followed by five years of probation, and ordered him to pay a $900 fine and a $100 special assessment.

Johnson sentenced Celestino Roberto Sandoval, 78, of Cheyenne on Wednesday on three counts of distribution of cocaine and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Johnson sentenced him to two years imprisonment to be followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay a $100 special assessment.

Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation investigated the cases of Draper, Spain and Sandoval.

On Tuesday, Johnson sentenced Jared Michael Romero, 22, to 10 months of home confinement and two years of probation on one count of involuntary manslaughter and one count of assault resulting in serious bodily injury in connection with the death of his passenger, Clay Walters, in a drunk driving crash on Jan. 11, 2015. Johnson also ordered Romero to pay $145,000 for medical expenses incurred by a second victim who survived the crash. As part of his sentence, Romero will participate in victim impact panels and other anti-drunk driving forums. Romero is a non-Indian. The victims were Indians.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Fremont County Sheriff’s Department and the Wyoming Highway Patrol.

On Oct. 8, U.S. District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl sentenced Wayne Brandon Day, 25, of Lander for possession of child pornography. Day was arrested in Casper. Skavdahl sentenced Day to 18 months imprisonment to be followed by five years of probation, and ordered him to pay a $100 special assessment and $2,000 in restitution.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.