A 24-year-old Casper man admitted in court Wednesday to having sex with two teenage girls earlier this year and to giving one of them marijuana.

In exchange for Manuel Nikolas Sambrano pleading guilty to two counts of sexual abuse of a minor and one count of delivery of marijuana, prosecutors dropped five other charges.

Natrona County District Judge Thomas Sullins sentenced Sambrano to six to nine years in prison. Sullins also recommended that Sambrano take part in the state's young offender boot camp program in Newcastle.

Sambrano, his hands and ankles shackled and in an orange jumpsuit, admitted in barely audible tones to knowing the girls were underage.

Sullins left open the possibility of a lesser sentence if Sambrano successfully completes boot camp.

Prior to the plea agreement, Sambrano faced a maximum sentence of 150 years behind bars.

Investigators claimed that Sambrano had sex with two girls, ages 16 and 13, several times between August and March. The girls also said he gave them marijuana.

After eventually admitting to having sex with the girls, Sambrano told detectives he gave marijuana to the 16-year-old roughly 10 times and to the younger girl twice.

In August, the 16-year-old told investigators she "basically traded sex" with Sambrano for drugs, cigarettes and alcohol, according to a police affidavit.

On Wednesday, Sambrano entered his guilty pleas and received his sentence. It is rare for those things to occur during the same hearing, but Assistant District Attorney Joshua Stensaas told the court Sambrano turns 25 on Saturday and the plea agreement called for a boot camp recommendation. A person over the age of 24 can not be recommended to boot camp.

"This option for Mr. Sambrano closes in two days," Stensaas said.

Sullins, who initially said he had "real, significant concerns" about the circumstances, approved the deal after the prosecution and defense both said they were in favor of it.

Stensaas, in explaining his reasons, said Sambrano "has exhibited a lack of maturity" and boot camp seems appropriate.

He added that one of the victims stopped communicating with prosecutors after the case began moving forward.

Neither of the victims or their families attended the hearing Wednesday.

Public Defender Rob Oldham echoed Stensaas' thoughts on the boot camp recommendation.

"He still is going to be hampered and punished in his life by having to register as a sex offender," Oldham said.

Sambrano has been in jail on $50,000 bond since his arrest in August.

Reach crime reporter William Browning at (307) 266-0534 or at william.browning@trib.com.