GREEN RIVER – A woman who faced more than 800 years in prison for methamphetamine-fueled sexual crimes involving a minor will be going to prison, though not for the eight centuries she initially faced.

Jennifer Fahrney, 39, pleaded no contest to 23 of the 66 felony charges she faced through a plea agreement negotiated between the Sweetwater County Attorney’s Office and her public defender.

District Court Judge Suzzanah Robinson sentenced Fahrney to a 25-35-year sentence at the Wyoming Women’s Center. Three of the counts she pled guilty to resulted in consecutive individual sentences, which created the 25-35-year time period, while time for the other crimes she entered no contest pleas to resulted in sentences to be served concurrently to the other counts. She was also ordered to pay $2,800 in public defender and crime victims compensation fund, along with other court fees. She was given 231 days credit for time already served. The other charges against her were dismissed. Robinson did not hide her disdain for the crimes Fahrney was accused of.

“This is a huge, terrible criminal case to have as your first criminal offenses,” she told Fahrney.

Robinson also said the affidavit was “one of the most disturbing I have ever read.”

A no contest plea doesn’t differ too greatly from a guilty plea – Fahrney takes the penalties as if she entered guilty pleas, but doesn’t admit to or deny the charges. The no contest pleas also meant she wasn’t able to be put under oath to speak about the circumstances related to the charges. 

Gary Arnell, Fahrney’s public defender, told Robinson the reason for entering no contest pleas was due to heavy use of methamphetamine making it difficult for Fahrney to recall specific instances. Robinson noted the sentence Fahrney received is much lighter than what her former boyfriend Richard Allen Turner will see during his change of plea and sentencing hearing scheduled for Thursday. Fahrney agreed to cooperate with the state in prosecuting Turner for his crimes.