Federal prosecutors in Wyoming have announced a series of sentences handed down in recent months for crimes ranging from child exploitation and violent assault to firearms offenses, drug trafficking, and immigration violations.
In one case, James Arthur Ostermeier, 61, who had no permanent address, received a sentence of time served—about seven months and ten days—and five years of supervised release for failing to register as a sex offender. Authorities said Ostermeier stopped checking in with the Offender Registrar in November 2024 after living in Laramie and Uinta Counties. He then left Wyoming and lived in several other states without registering as required by law. The U.S. Marshals Service and Laramie County Sheriff’s Office investigated the matter. Assistant U.S. Attorney Z. Seth Griswold prosecuted the case.
Adrean Ray McClendon, 25, of Laramie, was sentenced to 78 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release for possession of child pornography. The court ordered him to pay $21,000 in restitution to victims. Investigators began looking into McClendon after a tip from MediaLab/Kik about suspected child pornography use led them to his hotel room in Laramie, where they found over 600 images depicting abuse of minors on electronic devices he owned.
For violent crime, Brooke Ellen Friday-Goggles, 27, from Fort Washakie, was sentenced to nearly two years behind bars for assault resulting in serious bodily injury after an incident that left another person with multiple injuries requiring surgery.
Several individuals were sentenced for firearm-related offenses:
– Alexander Christopher Schwab, 32, from Alabama: Sentenced to just under three and a half years for being a felon with firearms discovered during a traffic stop.
– Christopher Dakota Daniel Pierce, 39, of Gillette: Received just over three years for possessing six firearms despite being prohibited due to prior convictions.
– Steven Michael Harvey, 61, of Sherdan: Sentenced to more than three years for possessing unregistered firearms found during a search.
– Dietz Dunnie Pongah III was given nearly four years after being caught with a sawed-off rifle following an unauthorized vehicle use on the Wind River Indian Reservation.
– Robert Alexander from Lyman was sentenced to more than ten years for aiding methamphetamine distribution and possessing firearms as a felon.
Drug trafficking cases included Jade Mikel Shane from Colorado receiving fourteen years’ imprisonment for conspiracy related to methamphetamine distribution based out of his residence used as a hub; Kolter Kekich from Sheridan got ten years after leaving drugs at a motel and leading police on a high-speed chase before overdosing; Scott VanGoethen from Cheyenne received ten years on similar charges combined with illegal firearm possession; Jonathan Dennis Roberts of Gillette was sentenced to over eleven years for distributing methamphetamine while armed.
Two men—Pedro Jose Rosales-Trujillo and Roberto Lezama-Amayo—were ordered deported after serving time or being credited with time served for illegal reentry into the United States following previous removals. Marvin Olina-Zuniga of Honduras also faces deportation after completing his one-year sentence on similar charges.
Jessica Wells of Oklahoma was fined over $2,000 and sentenced to serve nineteen days (with credit) after driving under the influence within Yellowstone National Park.
The United States Attorney’s Office handles all federal prosecutions within Wyoming’s district courts. Its programs include Project Safe Childhood—which addresses online sexual exploitation crimes against children—and Operation Take Back America aimed at combating illegal immigration and transnational crime networks through coordinated federal resources. The office also operates the Victim Witness Program dedicated to supporting victims throughout legal proceedings.
To report suspected federal crimes or provide information about ongoing criminal activity within Wyoming or elsewhere under federal jurisdiction visit https://www.justice.gov/actioncenter/report-crime
