Criminal Justice

HB 43 creates new criminal offenses for money laundering and illegal investments in Wyoming. It defines money laundering as moving property derived from crime (like drug trafficking or fraud) or structuring transactions to hide illegal money, and illegal investment as intentionally evading reporting rules for financial transactions. The bill directly affects financial institutions (such as banks, casinos, and money transmitters) and individuals handling large sums, requiring them to comply with reporting laws. Violations are punishable as felonies with up to 10 years in prison or $10,000 fines. The law takes effect July 1, 2026.

Wyoming's HB 28 amends the legal definition of "explicit sexual conduct" under the state's child exploitation law. It adds specific examples like bestiality, masturbation, and sadistic/masochistic abuse to the existing definition, clarifying what constitutes the crime. This change directly affects law enforcement and prosecutors handling child exploitation cases by providing a more detailed standard for charging offenders. The updated definition takes effect on July 1, 2026.

SF 10 allows Wyoming's Department of Health to enter contracts with county detention centers to provide security, examination, and treatment for mentally ill individuals awaiting competency evaluations in criminal cases. This bill directly affects county detention facilities (if designated), the Department of Health, and mentally ill detainees who would be held in these contracted facilities instead of the state hospital. Key provisions include creating new authority for the Department to designate qualified facilities and establish written contracts with counties under Section 7-11-308. The bill amends definitions to explicitly include county jails with such contracts as "facilities" under the law. It takes effect July 1, 2026.

HB 14 requires Wyoming counties to reimburse individuals for legal costs (including attorney fees and bail) when they successfully defend against criminal charges by reasonably using self-defense, resulting in a not-guilty verdict, dismissed charges, or release from prosecution. It also mandates automatic expungement (permanent removal) of criminal records for these individuals without requiring a court hearing, including no filing fees for either reimbursement petitions or expungement requests. The bill directly affects people prosecuted for crimes but acquitted or having charges dismissed due to lawful self-defense. Key provisions include county-funded reimbursement for defense costs and streamlined court orders to erase all related arrest and prosecution records. The law applies to cases where self-defense was used to prevent injury or property damage, as defined in the bill.