A man serving life in the Wyoming State Penitentiary in Rawlins for sexually abusing young girls faces dozens of new felony charges for having child pornography in prison.
Byron Nelson Griggs now faces 37 counts of sexual exploitation of a child and one of obtaining contraband while incarcerated, according to court documents.
He admitted to bringing the child porn into the Wyoming prison on a flash drive he got while transfered to an out-of-state prison, describing himself as a “profiteer, more or less,” court documents say.
If convicted on all charges, Griggs could face an additional 445 years in prison.
However, he told investigators the potential sentence doesn't make much of a difference for him because he is already serving life without the possibility of parole.
Griggs has been incarcerated since 2012 after his conviction on multiple counts of first-degree sexual abuse of a minor after young children disclosed abuse while in foster care in Rock Springs.
Because of a prior conviction for attempted sexual assault of a minor, he faced enhanced penalties.
According to forensic interviews and witness testimony, the abuse involved sexual acts against two girls who were 4 and 5 years old at the time. He was found guilty on Aug. 13, 2012.
The latest charges were filed in Carbon County Circuit Court on Tuesday after a prison lieutenant reportedly caught Griggs watching child pornography on a PlayStation gaming console in the prison.
Inmates having access to video games isn't new in the Wyoming Department of Corrections, said agency Director Dan Shannon in a statement to Cowboy State Daily.
"Inmates within the WDOC have had the opportunity to purchase gaming systems for more than 25 years," he said in the statement. "These systems have never been purchased with taxpayer dollars, nor would we allow that to occur.
"Gaming systems do not have internet connectivity and inmates have access to flash drives for legal matters."
In the case of Griggs and others who smuggle contraband into prison, it's something the WDOC is alert for and works against constantly.
"The harsh reality is that there are evil people in this world, and that is not unique to corrections," Shannon said in the statement. "Some individuals continually attempt to smuggle illicit and illegal contraband into our institutions, often with assistance from outside sources. This is a challenge we confront every day in our ongoing effort to maintain public safety."
Prison Economy
Officers confiscated a flash drive belonging to Griggs that contained 432 files, including 37 explicit photos of child pornography, cartoons depicting child exploitation, multiple child erotica stories, and several other files that were more difficult to identify.
Griggs refused to talk about how he was able to watch the files on a PlayStation, but he told investigators he obtained a cellphone while incarcerated at the Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility in Mississippi, where he said security is more “relaxed,” according to court documents.
That is where Griggs said he was able to access and download the pornography to a cellphone.
The Wyoming Department of Corrections announced in November 2023 that it had transferred 240 inmates to the Tallahatchie facility because of staffing shortages.
Griggs returned from Mississippi with other inmates in May 2025, claiming to have brought the contraband with him.
“There’s a market for everything (in prison),” said Griggs, court documents report. He explained that if you find the right person with the right amount of money, “you can profit from it.”
Griggs admitted to investigators he reviewed the contents of the flash drive “a couple times,” but said he acquired it as a “commodity” for down the road “pretty much.”
Griggs will have an initial appearance on May 19 in Carbon County Circuit Court before Judge Susan K. Stipe.
"The WDOC remains firmly committed to our mission of creating less victims," Shannon said. "This, in part, is why we have worked diligently to acquire new security detection equipment to combat the introduction of contraband.
"I am proud of our staff for their work on this investigation, and I extend my thanks to the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office and the County Prosecutor’s Office for treating this matter with the seriousness it deserves."
Editor's note: This story has been updated to include information from the Wyoming Department of Corrections and a statement from WDOT Director Dan Shannon received after this story was published.
Kolby Fedore can be reached at kolby@cowboystatedaily.com.
