American influencer Samantha Strable, also known as Sam Jones, has found herself under scrutiny once again after the woman at the centre of last year’s wombat uproar was hit with fresh legal trouble in the United States.
Strable sparked widespread anger in Australia after she was filmed picking up a baby wombat from the side of a road while its distressed mother ran after her. The footage spread rapidly online and triggered fierce backlash, including thousands of death threats. The public response became so intense that Strable later left Australia.
Her actions were also condemned by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese after the video went viral nationwide.
Now, Strable is set to face a three-day trial in Wyoming over allegations she lied about her residency in order to obtain hunting permits for black bears, elk, mountain lions, antelope and fishing.
According to the Herald Sun, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department received an anonymous complaint alleging Strable “continues to buy resident tags even though she hasn’t resided in Wyoming for over two years – and brags about it on social media to over 90k followers”.
Under Wyoming hunting laws, a person loses residency status if they have lived outside the state for 180 days.
A court affidavit reportedly states that Strable spent only one week in Wyoming in 2024 and one month there in 2025, but still applied for hunting licences as a resident.
If convicted, she could face up to one year in prison and a $10,000 fine.
Strable denies the allegations.
