Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives

Russ Jay Welch, Jr., 47, of Osage, Wyoming, was sentenced by Chief Federal District Court Judge Nancy D. Freudenthal on September 14, 2017, for counterfeiting and forging obligations or securities of the United States and aiding and abetting. Welch was arrested in Weston County. He received 27 months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay $210.00 in restitution and a $100.00 special assessment. This case was investigated by the U.S. Secret Service.

Agustin Gonzalez-Partida, 35, of Ciudad Guzman, Jalisco, Mexico, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson on September 14, 2017, for illegal re-entry of a previously deported alien into the United States. Gonzalez-Partida was arrested in Gillette, Wyoming. He received time served, plus ten day, was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment, and is subject to deportation upon release from custody. This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Apolonio Mora-Flores, 54, of Zacatecas, Chihuahua, Mexico, was sentenced by Chief Federal District Court Judge Nancy D. Freudenthal on September 14, 2017, for illegal re-entry of a previously deported alien into the United States. He received time served, plus ten days, was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment, and is subject to deportation upon release from custody. This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Christopher Arthur Lawrence, 25, of Evansville, Wyoming, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson on September 12, 2017, for being a felon in possession of a firearm. Lawrence was arrested in Casper, Wyoming. He received 24 months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $400.00 fine and a $100.00 special assessment. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Arnulfo Morelos-Ramirez, 37, of La Huacana, Michoacán, Mexico, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl on September 8, 2017, for use of a telephone facility to facilitate felony drug offense. Morelos-Ramirez was arrested in McAllen, Texas. He received 18 months of imprisonment, to be followed by one year of supervised release, was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment, and is subject to deportation upon release from custody. This case results from an ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) 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.

Gates Matthew Lund, 34, of Sheridan, Wyoming, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl on September 8, 2017, for being a prohibited person in possession of firearms and for aiding and abetting a false statement in connection with the acquisition of a firearm. Lund was arrested in Sheridan, Wyoming. He received 72 months of imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment. This case was investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

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