Man gets 6- to 8-year sentence for string of storage unit burglaries in Casper

Jason Max Braham, 33, heard the sentence before Judge Catherine Wilking on Thursday morning.

A man who moved to Natrona County less than three years ago was sentenced to six to eight years in prison on his second felony burglary case in district court Thursday.

Jason Max Braham, 33, heard the sentence before Judge Catherine Wilking. Braham was originally charged with 14 counts of burglary and pleaded guilty to five.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Blaine Nelson said this case included Braham’s 20th felony theft or burglary conviction; he had several in the state of Utah before moving to Wyoming about two and a half years ago.

“The generosity and resources of the state and the courts has been exhausted,” Nelson said. “His history of thievery is such that an imposed term is necessary.”

Last August, a Casper police officer responded to a storage unit facility on East Yellowstone Highway for a reported burglary. During the investigation, the maintenance man reported that 18 locks had been cut on various storage units, according to the report. The manager provided police with surveillance footage from between July 30 and Aug. 6, which reportedly showed Braham breaking into 14 units, leaving most of them empty-handed.

In one instance, Braham looked directly at the security camera and then squared his back to it before using the bolt cutters, the investigator noted.

Just months before, Braham was sentenced for a series of smash-and-grab burglaries in summer 2022, which affected 14 victims, according to Nelson’s recounting of the case on Thursday.

Braham got a seven- to 10-year suspended sentence on that case and is facing a revocation. Counsel has agreed that the two sentences would run at the same time.

One woman whose storage unit was burglarized wrote a statement that was read by her daughter to the court. She said the family had lost a coin collection that had taken generations to build as well as other sentimental items to Braham.

“You broke our hearts and destroyed our belief that people are good. I have trouble trusting anyone now,” the woman said in her statement. The entire passion of coin-collecting has been ruined because they don’t have the heart to start over, she said.

Braham’s public defender, Kurt Infanger, asked for a suspended sentence with placement in an adult community correctional facility. He said Braham had recent success with court-ordered programming and maintained gainful employment with a construction materials company, with which he could easily provide restitution over the next couple years.

“I apologize to the victims and I take full accountability,” Braham said. He said that he had seen the results of finally taking the court-ordered drug court program seriously, and that EMDR therapy had helped him get a handle on long-standing issues with trauma.

“I notice [the thoughts], and I let them go now,” Braham said. “I have a container for them.”

Judge Wilking agreed with Nelson that the court had little choice but to incarcerate to prevent further crimes in the community.

“Frankly, victimizing this many people in this short amount of time is something the court cannot tolerate when it happens over and over again,” Wilking said.

Braham will get credit for 23 days served.