Woman Lands 21 Months In Prison For False Rape, Assault Claims

A Lander, Wyoming woman will serve up to 21 months behind bars after pleading guilty to making false accusations of sexual assault at the FBI jurisdiction of Wind River Indian Reservation in 2020, a court in Cheyenne unveiled on Monday.

According to court documents, Rachel Myla Stagner, 36, of Lander, is also ordered by the U.S. District Court Judge Alan B. Johnson, to serve 36 months of supervised release and pay a $100 special assessment upon her release, reported KGAB.

The court has heard that Stagner was indicted on Sept. 16, 2020, and pleaded guilty months later on January 4, 2021, for filing false police complaints that she was purportedly sexually harassed and raped by "a white male" on the Wind River Indian Reservation.

Her report prompted the FBI to launch a probe because the area is under the security agency's jurisdiction.

In a statement, Acting U.S. Attorney Bob Murray concluded that Stagner went consistent with her false allegations throughout the FBI investigations so she could extort money from the man she framed for the fabricated crimes, Oil City News reported.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the FBI take any allegation of sexual assault seriously. The resources our offices have to investigate and prosecute crimes on the Wind River Indian Reservation are limited, and false reports hinder and delay other investigations," he continued.

Murray lambasted Wagner over her deceptive agenda as it disparaged the crime of sexual assault and the real victims fighting against the offenses.

“False claims of such crimes, in this case, meant to extort the alleged perpetrator, result in the diversion of valuable law enforcement and victim service resources away from actual victims,” FBI Denver Special Agent in Charge Michael Schneider further noted in a statement.

The FBI worked closely with its colleagues from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Bureau of Indian Affairs - Wind River Police Department, Fremont County Sheriff's Office, and Montana Department of Corrections - Adult Probation & Parole unit to investigate the alleged sexual assault, which was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Kerry Jacobson.