CASPER — A 53-year-old Casper man is accused of stealing more than $138,000 worth of vehicle parts over a nearly six-year period from his employer.
Defense attorney Ryan Semerad on Tuesday confirmed his client David Eugene Osborn turned himself in Tuesday morning when he learned the warrant issued by Casper Circuit Court for his arrest on Friday went active.
Osborn is charged with five counts of theft of more than $1,000 stemming from his alleged actions between December 2018 and July 15, 2024, at Extreme Truck Outfitters in Casper.
The owner of Extreme Truck Outfitters contacted Casper Police in January after an audit, alleging that Osborn had been stealing from him while working there.
The owner told a detective assigned to the case that Osborn worked at a previous business he owned, and when he started Extreme Truck Outfitters, he appointed Osborn to be general manager.
Osborn hired a family member to work at the company, and the owner said the family member was released from employment in February 2022 for reasons not related to the alleged thefts.
In late 2023, the owner launched an audit of the business after noticed that despite good sales, cash flow was off. That’s when he discovered the alleged theft. In July 2024, the owner confronted Osborn with the audit findings.
“(The owner) explained that (Osborn) was ordering parts via the company and placing those parts onto his personal vehicles,” according to an affidavit in Osborn’s court file. “While (Osborn) would partially pay for some of the products, in the majority of the instances, (Osborn) would outright steal and not pay for the product at all.”
Discrepancies
The owner also alleged that he had found payroll discrepancies where Osborn had paid himself more for jobs and increased his holiday pay without the owner’s authorization.
The owner told the detective that he knew of “several instances” where customers paid cash for services and Osborn would allegedly discard the invoice and keep the cash for himself.
A folder of documents presented to the detective outlined how Osborn, his family members and friends benefitted, and their vehicles became accessorized with parts from the company at the company’s expense.
The owner told the detective the company’s policy that Osborn signed that he understood allowed for employees to order parts at wholesale cost, and that the parts had to be paid for within 30 days. The parts could not be installed during working hours.
The affidavit states that the owner gave the detective a folder that had photographs of Osborn’s Facebook posts of his Ford-250 truck from April 24, 2022, and then May 4, 2022.
“David mentions that he had installed new wheels and tonneau cover on the vehicle,” the affidavit states. “(The owner) advised those items had been ordered by (Osborn) and had not been paid for, according to the audit.”
The audit showed that the wheels, tonneau cover, chrome window vent visors, bed rails, mud flaps, “Super Duty” emblem, side box steps, light grille, license plate bracket, floor mats, dash cover, a new upgraded exhaust system, and in-the-bed toolbox also were not paid for, the affidavit states.
The owner alleged Osborn had owned and sold a black Ford F-150 accessorized and upgraded with stolen items paid for by the business that included things such as wheels, tires, leveling kit, chrome nerf bars, LED tail lamps, rear light bar, new exhaust system and much more, the affidavit states.
Osborn also bought a yellow Chevrolet Camaro and had a supercharger installed on the vehicle.
“The supercharger had been charged to the company and David paid no money for it,” the affidavit states.
Family Benefits
The owner said Osborn’s family had several vehicles with stolen items on them — the affidavit states the vehicles include a F-250, Polaris utility vehicle, Polaris four-wheeler, camp trailer, 2022 car trailer, two Harley-Davidson motorcycles, the Camaro, a 2018 Ford Explorer and a black 1978 F-250.
One of Osborn’s family members had a 2015 Dodge Dart and maroon F-150 while another a 1982 F-250 and red 2017 Ford Edge, all with stolen parts, the owner alleged.
Osborn also allegedly bought a $2,200 refrigerator for a family member’s camper and charged him $800, the affidavit states.
He also did “buddy deals” with other people where he would sell them items at a discount in exchange for personal favors or other trades, the owner told police.
Osborn also asked the owner if he could sell a 2000 Dodge Dakota taken as a trade-in to a family member.
The owner said he would let Osborn do that if he paid the $1,200 that represented the trade deal and the company’s investment.
Osborn allegedly sold it to the family member for $900 and allowed the installation of a new battery and replacement of multiple parts that weren’t paid for, the affidavit states.
The affidavit states that when the owner confronted Osborn in July 2024 with the results of the audit, he recorded the conversation and provided it to police.
The affidavit states that in the recording, Osborn can he heard stating that he “did not make the right choices or go down the right path.”
“It just seems like it’s been one thing after another,” Osborn reportedly said. “My wants, versus my budget, and everything spiraled out of control.”
The affidavit states that after his firing, Osborn promised to the pay the owner back for his losses.
Osborn left his toolbox and wheels as partial payment, but when the owner went through the toolbox, he found several tools that had been stolen, the affidavit states.
As the investigation continued, the detective was notified by the business owner in February that Osborn was selling vehicles with the stolen parts and provided documentation.
Search Warrant
Casper police executed a search warrant of Osborn’s home and recovered a red 2022 Ford-250, yellow 2014 Camaro, white 2021 Grand Design camper trailer, black 2023 Big Tex flatbed trailer, Polaris General UTV, Polaris motorcycle, red 2017 Harley Davidson motorcycle and a racing jacket.
Osborn told police that they had given “$35,000” back to the owner, the affidavit states.
An examination of the vehicles seized during the search warrant by a city of Casper mechanic showed that all the vehicles have at least one stolen part on them.
The stolen parts verified to be on the vehicles totaled $34,577. The affidavit states that the mechanic said there were likely more, but that would require more disassembly of the vehicles.
Semerad said the court agreed to his suggestion for a $5,000 cash only bond. He expected Osborn to be bonded out by the end of the day.
Each of the five counts of theft more than $1,000 carries a potential 10-year prison sentence and $10,000 fine.
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
