A Gillette woman has been accused of assisting in the operation of an illegal gambling scheme run out of a Casper coffee and smoke shop.
Hannelore Tolliver, born 1992, faces a charge of conspiracy to commit gambling after police allege she worked with the owner of at least three involved stores — including one she managed in Gillette and two in Natrona County — to sell codes to customers that they could redeem online.
Authorities have issued a warrant for her arrest.
Police were first notified of the operation after a customer contacted authorities claiming the business refused to pay out her $7,000 winning code.
In their investigation, officers found that Scott Schroefel owned at least three businesses — one in Casper, one in Mills and one in Gillette — that were involved in the gambling operation.
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Wyoming Gaming Commission Special Agent Michael Hotard led the investigation.
Hotard made contact with a confidential informant who had knowledge of the operations at Schroefel’s espresso and smoke shop on CY Avenue in Casper.
“Customers came to [the store’s] drive-up window and either established a new account or placed money onto an existing account,” the affidavit says. “All money placed onto an account was cash only, in increments of five dollars only.”
Authorities allege Tolliver’s involvement with the operation stemmed from her position as the manager of Schroefel’s Gillette store, also a coffee shop.
Through the latter half of 2023 and early 2024, authorities conducted several plainclothes “investigations” at the establishment, spending $110 on bets, which they lost. While placing one of the bets, the affidavit says an agent interacted directly with Schroefel.
The CY Avenue store was raided in January by Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation and gaming commission agents.
The affidavit doesn’t say whether Tolliver spent any time at Schroefel’s Natrona County businesses, but Tolliver and Schroefel repeatedly discussed business for multiple locations — including those in Natrona County — according to Facebook messages obtained by law enforcement.
In June 2023, messages sent by Tolliver indicate that she sold her business to Schroefel but stayed on as a manager.
In November 2023, she sent a message stating “Yea.. like.. Scott’s finna get you caught up in a whole ass felony lol” to a confidential informant in the investigation.
Further plainclothes operations in Campbell County found Tolliver in the business, investigators said.
If convicted, Tolliver faces up to three years in prison and a fine of $3,000.
