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Press Release

Sentencings for September 6 - September 7, 2016

For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Wyoming

Jaime Nieto, 53, of Rock Springs, Wyoming, was sentenced by Chief Federal District Court Judge Nancy D. Freudenthal on September 7, 2016, for tax evasion and misuse of a social security number. He received 21 months imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $200.00 special assessment and $143,243.73 in restitution for unpaid taxes and interest.

In June, a jury convicted Mr. Nieto. The evidence at trial showed that the Mr. Nieto filed income tax returns for tax years 2007-2011 which reported taxes due. Mr. Nieto made some tax payments but never paid all of his income taxes for any of these tax years. When the Internal Revenue Service attempted to collect the unpaid income taxes, Jaime Nieto unlawfully concealed assets available to pay the tax debt by opening and maintaining bank accounts using a social security number which did not belong to him and by using his business checking account, which the IRS could not levy to collect his personal tax debt, for all of his personal expenses. The case was investigated by Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations.

Ginger Eva Ephrim, 20, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl on September 6, 2016, for conspiracy to transport stolen property through interstate commerce. Ephrim was arrested in Phoenix, Arizona. She received 12 months and 1 day imprisonment, to be followed by two years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment and $21,012.00 in restitution. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Timothy Mulford, 31, and Maria Tillman, 27, both from Lander, Wyoming, were sentenced on September 6, 2016, by Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl for theft of personal property and aiding and abetting. Mulford and Tillman were arrested in Missoula, Montana. Both received three years of supervised release and were ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment each and to pay, joint and several, restitution to Hines General Store in the amount of $9,050.00. The case was investigated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

Luke Jackson Tilghman, 33, of Riverton, Wyoming, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl on September 6, 2016, for possession with intent to distribute marijuana. Tilghman was arrested in Riverton, Wyoming. He received 60 months imprisonment, with the first six months to be served concurrently with his undischarged sentence in a state criminal action. The remaining 54 months shall be served consecutively to his state sentence. In addition, Tilghman was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment, $2,000.00 in restitution, and will be placed on four years of supervised release upon completing his sentence. This case was investigated by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation.

Stacey Irene Rodgers, 38, of Rock Springs, Wyoming, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl on September 6, 2016, for wrongful conversion of social security income. During the months of June 2014 through March 2015, the Social Security Administration (SSA) sent regular monthly payments Ms. Rodgers despite the fact that her son was then living with his father. Ms. Rodgers failed to report this change of circumstances to the SSA and knowingly converted those monies to her own use. Rodgers received three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay a $100.00 special assessment and $13,083.00 in restitution. This case was investigated by the Social Security Administration.

Updated September 8, 2016

Topics
Drug Trafficking
Financial Fraud