Activity in the U.S. Attorney's Office

Financial Fraud

Cassandra Lee Corbin, 36, with no permanent address, was sentenced to 21 months' imprisonment with three years of supervised release to follow for theft of government funds. According to court documents, the defendant, as the custodian of her two minor children, received Survivor Insurance Benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA) upon the death of her husband. However, from November 2020 until May 2023 the children were no longer in her care and custody, and she knowingly failed to report to the SSA that she no longer had custody of the children and was not entitled to receive the benefits on their behalf. The Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General investigated the crime. Corbin was indicted on May 12 and pleaded guilty on June 27. Chief U.S. District Judge Kelly H. Rankin imposed the sentence on Sept. 25 in Cheyenne. Case No. 24-CR-00096

Violent Crime

Cole Posey, 35, of Arapahoe, Wyoming, was sentenced to 50 months' imprisonment with three years of supervised release to follow for assault resulting in serious bodily injury. According to court documents, on May 1, the Bureau of Indian Affairs Wind River Police Department advised the FBI that an assault had occurred at a residence in Ethete. When agents arrived, the victim was bleeding and had to be transported to the emergency room for a displaced nasal fracture caused by Posey hitting the victim in the face. The victim also had other injuries such as bruises and scratches that resulted from Posey. The Bureau of Indian Affairs Wind River Police Department and the FBI investigated the crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael J. Elmore prosecuted the case. Posey was indicted on May 21 and pleaded guilty on July 1. Chief U.S. District Judge Kelly H. Rankin imposed the sentence on Sept. 23 in Cheyenne. Case No. 25-CR-00087

Gonnie Chad Luis Angatomope Mendez aka Luis Mendez, 44, with no permanent residence, was sentenced to 51 months' imprisonment with three years of supervised release for threatening a witness or victim with physical force. According to court documents, the victim disclosed in an interview with an FBI Child and Adolescent Forensic interviewer that Mendez would abuse the victim's mother and then turn the abuse on the victim. The physical abuse on the victim happened when the victim tried to get the other children in the house to safety. Mendez threatened to kill the victim or kill the victim's mother if the victim told anyone about Mendez's assaults. The defendant provided a factual basis in which he admitted using physical force and the threat of physical force against the victim to hinder, delay and prevent the victim's communication with law enforcement. The FBI investigated the crime and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kerry J. Jacobson prosecuted the case. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence on Sept. 22 in Cheyenne. Case No. 24-CR-00120

Drug Trafficking

Carlos Salazar, 50, with no permanent address, was sentenced to 92 months' imprisonment with four years of supervised release for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. According to court documents, the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) began investigating multiple people in December 2024 on suspicion of distributing methamphetamine. Throughout the investigation, agents learned that Salazar was a distributor in Wyoming and was buying his drugs from a source in Colorado. On Jan. 9, as Salazar and three others were returning from Colorado, the Wyoming Highway Patrol (WHP) attempted a traffic stop of the vehicle Salazar was driving in Converse County. Salazar fled and a pursuit ensued which ended with WHP using spike strips to stop the vehicle. Agents learned that methamphetamine had been tossed out of the window during the pursuit and was recovered by DCI. Wyoming DCI, Department of Homeland Security, and WHP investigated the crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mackenzie R. Morrison prosecuted the case. Salazar was arrested on complaint Feb. 7 and pleaded guilty to an Information on May 12. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence on Sept. 24 in Cheyenne. Case No. 25-CR-00075

Illegal Re-Entry of a Previously Deported Alien

Elmer Danillo Martinez Quinteros, 33, of Santa Barbara, Honduras, was sentenced to time served, approximately four months of imprisonment, and will be deported for illegal reentry into the United States. According to court documents, on July 6, 2020, the defendant was arrested in Laramie County for driving while under the influence of alcohol. ICE determined that he was previously deported and did not apply for permission to reenter the United States legally. He was apprehended in Texas on May 20, 2025. ICE investigated the crime, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook prosecuted the case. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence on Sept. 25 in Cheyenne. Case No. 20-CR-00119

Public Land Violation

Andres Sanchez Yobal, 64, of Bozeman, Montana, pled guilty to operating a motor vehicle with a breath alcohol concentration greater than .08, and operating a motor vehicle without a valid driver's license in Yellowstone National Park. He was then sentenced to a 60-day term of incarceration with credit for 19 days previously served and was ordered to serve the remaining 41-day term of incarceration immediately. The defendant was also placed on five years of unsupervised probation under various terms and conditions including a ban from Yellowstone National Park during the probationary period. U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephanie A. Hambrick imposed the sentence on Sept. 19 in Mammoth.

About the United States Attorney's Office

The United States Attorney's Office is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation involving the United States in the District of Wyoming, including all criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law, civil lawsuits brought by or against the government, and actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers. The Office is involved in several programs designed to make our communities safer. They include:

Project Safe Childhood
Project Safe Childhood (PSC) is a DOJ initiative that combats the proliferation of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes against children. The threat of sexual predators soliciting children for sexual contact is well-known and serious.

Operation Take Back America
Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. It also streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

Victim Witness Program
The Victim Witness Coordinator for the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Wyoming is dedicated to ensuring victims of federal crimes and their family members are treated with compassion, fairness, and respect.

To report a federal crime, go to: https://www.justice.gov/actioncenter/report-crime