A home in Smoot, Wyoming, from which about $14 million in precious metals was allegedly stolen last month no longer contains any valuables, the local sheriff says.
Michael Reps, 60, of Las Vegas, Nevada, is charged with felony theft and burglary on suspicion of stealing $14 million worth of gold and silver from his father’s home last autumn.
While the home may seem a treasure trove to potential thieves now that the case has gone public, it’s not.
“There are no valuables left in the home,” Lincoln County Sheriff Shane Johnson told Cowboy State Daily on Wednesday. “It’s all been removed to a private vault out of the state.”
That includes the $14 million trove allegedly stolen and recovered, plus any remaining valuables, the sheriff said.
“We are working with (the theft victims) on a security plan,” Johnson said, adding that the family is vacating the area as well.
The case represents the highest-value theft in Johnson’s career and in his memory for Lincoln County.
“My guess is it’s a very uncommon amount even in the state or nationwide,” he said.
The Case
Reps faces up to 20 years in prison and a possible $20,000 in fines if convicted on both counts. His case is ongoing in Kemmerer Circuit Court.
The affidavit filed in the case June 9 alleges that Reps took about $14 million in precious metals plus other valuables from his father’s home in Smoot, Wyoming, in mid-November, 2023, while his father was wintering elsewhere.
Reps reportedly admitted to investigators that he had taken the treasure, but said he did so out of concern his father was being extorted, the affidavit says.
Clair McFarland can be reached at clair@cowboystatedaily.com.
