Federal Court Judges Sentence 4 for Gun, Ammo, Mail Theft Crimes

Federal judges in Wyoming recently sentenced three men and one woman for crimes involving firearms, drugs and mail theft, according to a news release from the Wyoming U.S. Attorney's Office on Friday.

Steven Robert Venjohn, 34, of Casper was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Alan Johnson on April 17 to three years, five months imprisonment for being an unlawful user of a controlled substance in possession of a firearm.

Besides the prison time, Johnson also ordered Venjohn to serve three years of supervised probation after his release from custody and pay a $100 special assessment.

Court records say Casper police found Venjohn asleep behind the steering wheel in his vehicle on Nov. 30, 2022. Officers also found a white substance on the driver's seat that tested presumptive positive for methamphetamine and a Ruger Wrangler .22-caliber revolver on the rear driver's side floorboard.

Besides the Casper police, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Coppom prosecuted Venjohn.

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James Paul Stokes, 49, of Bellefonte, Pennsylvania, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Scott Skavdahl on April 18 to two years, nine months imprisonment for being a felon in possession of a firearm.

The prosecution had asked for a sentence of three years, 10 months.

Besides the prison sentence, Skavdahl also ordered Stokes to three years of supervised probation after his release from custody, pay a a fine of $250 and a $100 special assessment.

The case was investigated by the Wyoming Highway Patrol and the BATFE.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Seth Griswold prosecuted the case.

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Skavdahl sentenced Lance James Talbot, 44, of Cheyenne on April 11 to four years, nine months imprisonment for being a felon in possession of ammunition.

Skavdahl also ordered Talbot to serve three years supervised probation after his release from prison and pay a $100 special assessment.

The federal prosecutor had requested a five year, 11 month sentence.

Court records say Talbot was arrested on March 16, 2022, when Cheyenne police were dispatched to investigate a shooting in Cheyenne. The victim had been shot in the leg, had head injuries consistent with blunt force trauma, and identified Talbot as the attacker.

Security camera footage showed Talbot at the residence during the time of the shooting. Officers located and arrested him, obtained a search warrant, and searched Talbot’s residence. They found .40-caliber ammunition, which matched a spent casing at the scene of the shooting.

Besides the police, the BATFE investigated the crime.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Coppom prosecuted the case.

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Skavdahl also sentenced Lacey Katherine Tolman, 36, of Afton, on April 18 to 18 months imprisonment followed by three years of supervised release. He also ordered her to pay a $100 special assessment for mail theft.

Court records say the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office served a burglary search warrant on Tolman’s residence. Deputies found a large quantity of stolen U.S. mail and packages, including 40 checks with a total face value of $27,249.97.

Deputies took her into custody, and pleaded guilty on Feb. 1 to the sole count of the indictment handed up by the grand jury on Nov. 17.

This crime was investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Elmore prosecuted the case.