Activity in the U.S. Attorney's Office

Financial Crimes

Ashley M. Patton-Spencer, 37, of University Park, Illinois, was sentenced to 20 months’ imprisonment with 2 years of supervised release for aiding and abetting the passing and uttering of a counterfeit U.S. obligation. According to court records, the defendant was responsible for aiding and abetting a scheme to pass a counterfeit U.S. Treasury check at a local Cheyenne bank in April 2024. Specifically, the defendant assisted in the crime by recruiting co-defendant Pamela Kubesh (see below) for the purpose of passing the counterfeit check, arranging for Kubesh’s travel to meet up with other co-conspirators, and coordinating with others in an effort to commit the crime. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and the Cheyenne Police Department investigated the crime. Patton-Spencer pleaded guilty on Dec. 11, 2024, and U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence on March 3 in Cheyenne. Case No. 24-CR-00152

Pamela Kubesh, 56, of Lake Tomahawk, Wisconsin, was sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment with 3 years of supervised release for passing and uttering a counterfeit U.S. obligation. According to court records, on April 8, 2024, the defendant used a false name and false identification to open a bank account in Cheyenne and deposit a counterfeit U.S. Treasury check. Investigators subsequently identified several individuals who aided and abetted the defendant, to include Ashley Patton-Spencer (see above) and Dwayne Rogers, Jr. (see below). The defendant was arrested and subsequently plead guilty on Dec. 12, 2024. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and the Cheyenne Police Department investigated the crime. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence on March 4 in Cheyenne. Case No. 24-CR-00152

Dwayne Rogers, Jr., 22, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, was sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment with 3 years of supervised release for aiding and abetting the passing and uttering of a counterfeit U.S. obligation. According to court records, on April 8, 2024, defendant aided and abetted co-conspirator Pamela Kubesh  (see above) in the passing and uttering of a counterfeit U.S. Treasury check at a Cheyenne bank by providing a false name and false identification in bank account opening documents and by driving co-conspirators to and from the bank. The defendant was arrested and subsequently plead guilty on Dec. 5, 2024. The Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration and the Cheyenne Police Department investigated the crime. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence on February 25 in Cheyenne. Case No. 24-CR-00152

Illegal Reentry of a Previously Deported Alien

Luis Angel Giron-Zavala, 32, of Guanajuato, Mexico, was sentenced to six months of imprisonment to be followed by one year of unsupervised release with the condition that he not illegally return to the United States. Giron-Zavala will be returned to the State of Texas to finish serving a separate sentence, and then he will be deported from the United States. According to court documents, on March 24, 2024, Giron-Zavala was arrested by the Wyoming Highway Patrol in Sheridan County on a state warrant from Texas. Deputies from the Sheridan County Jail notified Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that Giron-Zavala claimed to be a citizen of Mexico. Agents with ICE determined that he had not applied for permission to reenter after being formally removed in April 2018. ICE investigated the crime, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Cameron J. Cook prosecuted the case. U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence on March 7 in Cheyenne. Case No. 24-CR-00177

About the U.S. Attorney's Office

The United States Attorney’s Office is responsible for representing the federal government in virtually all litigation involving the United States in the District of Wyoming, including all criminal prosecutions for violations of federal law, civil lawsuits brought by or against the government, and actions to collect judgments and restitution on behalf of victims and taxpayers. The Office is involved in several programs designed to make our communities safer. They include the following:

Project Safe Childhood
Project Safe Childhood (PSC) is a DOJ initiative that combats the proliferation of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes against children. The threat of sexual predators soliciting children for sexual contact is well known and serious.

Project Safe Neighborhoods
Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) is a nationwide commitment to reducing gun and gang crime in America by networking existing local programs that target gun crime and providing these programs with the additional tools necessary to be successful.

Victim Witness Program
The Victim Witness Coordinator for the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming is dedicated to ensuring that victims of federal crimes and their family members are treated with compassion, fairness, and respect.

To report a federal crime, go to: https://www.justice.gov/actioncenter/report-crime