Andrew Lambert Silicani, 23, of Cheyenne, Wyoming, was sentenced by Chief Federal District Court Judge Nancy D. Freudenthal on July 9, 2015, on four counts of use of interstate commerce facilities in the commission of murder-for-hire. Silicani was arrested in Rawlins, Wyoming. He received 420 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $400.00 special assessment. This case was investigated by the Wyoming Department of Corrections and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

James Robert Ford, 49, of Rock Springs, Wyoming, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl on July 8, 2015, for conspiracy to distribute between 50 and 200 grams of a mixture or substance containing a detectable amount of methamphetamine and for possession of an unregistered sawed-off shotgun. Ford was arrested in Rock Springs, Wyoming. He received 57 months’ imprisonment, to be followed by three years of supervised release, and was ordered to pay a $200.00 special assessment. This case results from an ongoing Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) joint investigation conducted by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. 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.

Juan Jose Cortez-Becerra, 38, of Mexico, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson on July 6, 2015, for illegal re-entry of a previously deported alien into the United States. Cortez-Becerra was arrested in Jackson, Wyoming. He received time served, plus 10 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.

Lazaro Fernandez-Vargas, 40, of Mexico, was sentenced by Federal District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson on July 6, 2015, for illegal re-entry of a previously deported alien into the United States. Fernandez-Vargas was arrested in Jackson, Wyoming. He received time served, plus 10 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.