Triangle Cross Boys Ranch

News coverage

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  Powell Tribune Nov 19, 2024 Event

  Main cabin at Clark ranch burns

  A fire destroyed the main cabin and attached garage at a property in Clark, Wyoming, which formerly operated as a youth ranch for teenage boys under various names including Mount Carmel Youth Ranch, Triangle Cross Ranch, and Sunlight Mountain Boys Ranch. No injuries were reported, though family members and a resident teen were displaced by the incident.

Lawsuits

• Sherman, et al. v. Trinity Teen Solutions, et al. 2020 | Settled | U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming | 20-CV-00215-SWS Names this facility

  Outcome: The district court dismissed the RICO, negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress claims under Rule 12(b)(6), leaving the forced labor and trafficking claims. After the plaintiffs moved for class certification in August 2022, the district court denied it. On October 31, 2023, in a published opinion (No. 22-8080), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit held the district court had applied the wrong legal standards for commonality, typicality and predominance, vacated the denial of class certification and sent the case back for further proceedings. The United States filed an amicus brief in the appeal. Back in the district court, the case settled in 2025 for $2.3 million, to be shared by a class of 262 former residents; the defendants admitted no wrongdoing and class members who accept payment must agree not to disparage them. Judge Scott Skavdahl gave final approval in fall 2025 and the case was terminated on October 6, 2025.

  Former residents Carlie Sherman, Anna Gozun, Amanda Nash, Andrew Scavuzzo and Ehan Jelinek sued Trinity Teen Solutions, Triangle Cross Ranch, the Schneider and Woodward families who own and run them, a Carmelite monastery that sells Mystic Monk Coffee, the Diocese of Cheyenne, and others in the U.S. District Court for the District of Wyoming, first filing in November 2020 and filing a first amended complaint on February 12, 2021. The suit alleges the ranches near Powell, Wyoming promised parents therapy and schooling and instead made teens work long hours on the ranches without pay under threat of punishment and longer stays. The district court dismissed the RICO and negligence claims, leaving forced labor and trafficking claims under federal law, and later denied class certification. On October 31, 2023 the Tenth Circuit vacated that denial and sent the class certification question back to the district court. In 2025 the case settled as a class action: 262 women who were sent to the ranches as teenagers will share $2.3 million from Trinity Teen Solutions and Triangle Cross Ranch, with no admission of wrongdoing. Class members who accept payment must agree not to disparage the defendants; lead plaintiff Anna Gozun declined to take part. Judge Scott Skavdahl approved the settlement in fall 2025 as fair given the risk of recovering nothing, and the case closed on October 6, 2025.

• Criminal case record - Triangle Cross Boys Ranch 2015 | Unknown | Supreme Court of Wyoming | S-14-0212 Names this facility

  Outcome: District court order enjoining Triangle Cross from operating an uncertified child caring facility is affirmed.

  The Wyoming Department of Family Services sought an injunction against Triangle Cross Ranch for operating a child caring facility without required state certification. Triangle Cross argued it fell under a statutory exception for ranches not offering services to homeless, delinquent, or intellectually disabled children. The district court concluded the facility was offering services requiring certification and issued a permanent injunction. The Supreme Court of Wyoming affirmed the district court's ruling.

Incidents on record

1. 2005 Injury

   In September 2005 three boys used shovels to beat a sleeping counselor, who suffered severe permanent head injuries; a 2007 review of public documents also found multiple failures to report incidents to the state Department of Family Services.source

2. March 2013 Closure order

   After failing to get Wyoming licensing by March 2013, DFS ordered the ranch to close; DFS visits in late 2013 and early 2014 found it still operating with minors present.source

3. August 2013 License action

   In August 2013 owner Jerry Schneider told DFS he moved all operations involving minors to the Montana portion of the property to avoid Wyoming regulation.source

4. 2015 Investigation

   In 2015 the State of Wyoming investigated Triangle Cross Ranch and found it operating without proper licensing despite DFS warnings.source

5. November 2020 Lawsuit

   In November 2020 a federal class-action lawsuit was filed against Triangle Cross Ranch and Trinity Teen Solutions alleging forced labor, trafficking, racketeering, negligence and negligent infliction of emotional distress; as of October 2021 it appeared ongoing.source

6. Abuse

   Survivors report forced manual labor, unsanitary conditions, no heat or running water, food deprivation, physical and psychological abuse and excessive restraints.source

News coverage

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  Cowboy State Daily Apr 17, 2024 Lawsuit

  Triangle Cross Ranch Files Response Denying Forced Labor and Trafficking Allegations in Lawsuit

  Two former participants of Triangle Cross Ranch filed a lawsuit alleging they were subjected to forced labor and confinement without adequate education or therapy during their stay in 2014. The facility denied the allegations in court filings, while a federal judge dismissed claims against several related entities and individuals.

Staff

Notable staff

• Gerald "Jerry" Schneider

  Founder and Ownersource

• Michaeleen "Mickey" Schneider

  Co-Foundersource

• Mark Schneider

  Ranch Managersource

• Julie Ley

  General Manager and Admissions Directorsource

• Michael Morso

  Former Staff (before 2025, r/troubledteens wiki)source

  Elsewhere in the industry

  • Petty Creek Ranch Founder, Owner, and Executive Director, 2025