Wyoming man pleads guilty to stealing from Boy Scouts, woman

GILLETTE, Wyo. (AP) - A Wyoming man pleaded guilty to taking more than $30,000 from the Boy Scouts while he was a scoutmaster, court records said.

Jason Ray Barnum, 42, of Gillette pleaded guilty to three counts of theft for using bank account information to steal money the Boy Scouts received from donations and fundraising events such as popcorn sales, The Gillette News Record reports.

Barnum also pleaded guilty to one count of obtaining goods by false pretenses for taking $122,573 from a 76-year-old Gillette woman, court documents said.

Barnum requested and received money from the woman on 46 occasions, promising to pay it back with an inheritance that did not exist, court documents said.

As part of a plea agreement, Barnum must pay $10,000 to the woman before his sentencing, which is scheduled for March 5.

Prosecutors are expected to recommend a sentence of three to five years in prison to be served concurrently for each of the theft counts.

Prosecutors are also expected to recommend a suspended sentence of five to 10 years in prison for the fraud charge, followed by 10 years of supervised probation.