A Wyoming man, Jesse Alex Sutherland, has been sentenced to three years in prison for his involvement in an attempted robbery on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation. The sentence will be followed by three years of supervised release, according to U.S. Attorney Kurt Alme.
Sutherland, 37, admitted guilt in December 2024 to one count of attempted robbery. Chief U.S. District Judge Brian M. Morris presided over the case.
Court documents revealed that on November 21, 2023, Sutherland and a co-defendant approached a remote residence on the reservation. The co-defendant was armed with an AR-15 style rifle and fired several rounds outside the home before both men entered and assaulted its occupants while demanding access to a safe.
Surveillance footage captured Sutherland's presence before and after the incident, leading to his arrest soon after while wearing the same hoodie seen during the crime.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Kalah Paisley led the prosecution with investigations conducted by multiple agencies including the FBI, BIA, and Fort Peck Tribes Department of Law & Justice.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program aimed at reducing violent crime through collaboration between law enforcement agencies and communities. For more information about PSN's initiatives and strategies for violence prevention, visit Justice.gov/PSN.
