Armando Raul Ramirez-Serna, 22, was sentenced on February 4, 2019, to serve 40 years in federal prison for killing another man while robbing him of marijuana and proceeds from the sale of marijuana, announced United States Attorney Mark A. Klaassen. Ramirez-Serna was also ordered to pay over $19,000 in restitution to the victim’s family and to the Wyoming Division of Victims Assistance.
Ramirez-Serna was indicted in July of 2018 for interfering with commerce by robbery, using a firearm and causing murder during the robbery, and using fire to commit a felony. Pursuant to a plea agreement with the United States, Ramirez-Serna pleaded guilty on October 9, 2018, to interfering with commerce by robbery and using a firearm and causing murder during the robbery. Two other counts were dismissed at sentencing.
“The prosecution of this case represents a successful collaboration between local and federal law enforcement agencies to combat violent crime in our communities," said U.S. Attorney Mark Klaassen. “It is an example of the partnerships the Department of Justice is committed to fostering as part of its Project Safe Neighborhood initiative, which seeks to combine the resources of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies and prosecutors’ offices to find the most effective way to investigate and prosecute violent actors, and to bring justice to the victims of violent crime."
United States District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson imposed the sentence. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Laramie County Sheriff’s Department investigated the case with the assistance of agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stuart S. Healy III, Stephanie Sprecher, and David Kubichek prosecuted the case.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
