Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
Continuing the Crook County News Since 1884
Jason Barnum has been sentenced on fraud charges in Crook County. The Gillette man allegedly obtained property by false pretenses from two separate victims in Crook County.
He has also been sentenced to up to 13 years in prison for defrauding the Boy Scouts and a 76-year-old woman out of $150,000 in Campbell County and has fraud charges in Wright and Weston County.
On February 21, Moorcroft Police Department was notified of the first incident. In his report, the officer who responded says he recognized Barnum’s name from numerous news reports in Campbell County.
The incident allegedly involved a Moorcroft resident, who provided a work order signed by Barnum for work on her house, including painting multiple rooms. The victim provided a down payment of $500 to Barnum at his request.
Barnum repeatedly failed to turn up to complete the work, according to court reports. On January 21, the victim texted Barnum to ask if an article in the newspaper was about him; he allegedly admitted it was and said he had mailed a refund to the victim.
The victim allegedly stated that, if she had not received a money order by January 27, she would take the matter to an attorney. Barnum agreed to meet her at his bank on January 28 but the victim allegedly found out Barnum did not have an account at the bank and filed a police report.
Information provided by the Campbell County Attorney’s Office led the officer to believe that Barnum’s actions in this situation followed his “pattern of obtaining money from people under false pretenses with intent to defraud”. This pattern allegedly involves accepting a project, requesting a deposit and then continually making excuses and finding ways not to begin the job.
A Sheriff’s Office deputy responded to a second case in Crook County on May 9, involving a different victim. In the second case, communication with Barnum allegedly began in October, when he came to the victim’s residence to provide an estimate for work to be done.
Barnum allegedly required a 50% down payment. The excuses began on November 24 and Barnum continued to postpone until February 24.
Barnum pled guilty to one felony count of attempting to obtain property by false pretenses and one misdemeanor count of obtaining property by false pretenses. He was sentenced on the misdemeanor count to at least six months of incarceration and restitution totaling $3714.
On the felony count, Barnum was sentenced to between 36 months and 120 months in a state penal institution, as well as a total of $3714 in restitution and a $1000 fine. This second sentence was suspended pending successful completion of ten years of probation following his release from incarceration, probation and parole in one of the two Campbell County cases.
Barnum’s sentence and probation on the misdemeanor count will be consecutive to the completion of District Court cases in Campbell and Weston Counties. The felony count will be served consecutively to the first of the two Campbell County cases and will then run concurrently with the second case and the Weston County case.
