The Financial Litigation Program of the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Wyoming collected over $868,000 for victims of mail and wire fraud in U.S. v. Lattin et al., Docket No. 2:10-cr-00088-ABJ, according to an April 27 announcement.
The restitution collection addresses losses suffered by individuals affected by fraudulent activities and demonstrates ongoing efforts to enforce court-ordered penalties against convicted offenders.
United States Attorney Darin Smith said, “Through the FLP, our office diligently seeks to collect restitution for up to twenty years after the conviction or time-served. This includes locating debtors and hidden assets then initiating post-judgment remedies, including (when appropriate), selling defendants’ real and personal property.”
According to case details, Brett Lattin falsely presented himself as a civil engineer in 2006 and was hired by Marathon Oil Company as a Construction Supervisor responsible for reservoir repairs required by state regulators. Together with a co-defendant, Lattin defrauded Marathon through kickbacks, false receipts, and failure to complete necessary work. After pleading guilty in June 2010 to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud under federal law, Lattin was sentenced to prison and ordered to pay $2.45 million in restitution.
Efforts by the Financial Litigation Program included locating Lattin’s house and personal property left inside it; these assets were sold recently resulting in more than $868,000 being returned to crime victims after years of limited recovery success since his sentencing.
Smith said, “We recovered almost a million dollars in this case simply because of the tenacity and hard work of Assistant United States Attorney Jasmine Peters who handled this enforcement matter.”
The U.S. Attorney for the District of Wyoming advances public safety by addressing emerging crime trends and training law enforcement according to the official website. The office operates locations in Cheyenne, Casper, Lander and Mammoth Hot Springs within Yellowstone National Park according to its official website. It functions under the United States Department of Justice according to its official website.
Serving 23 counties across nearly 98 thousand square miles with a population around 581 thousand people according to its official website, it prosecutes federal crimes—including those on tribal lands such as Wind River Indian Reservation—and defends government interests in civil litigation as reported on its official site. The jurisdiction also covers portions of Yellowstone National Park according to its official site.
The office investigates federal crimes, defends national interests during civil cases involving government agencies or officials—such as debt collections—and works closely with various law enforcement partners via initiatives like its Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee established July 1981 as noted on its official site.
