Northern District of Oklahoma

The Justice Department announced today 49 awards to states, territories, and the District of Columbia as part of the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program. This investment of over $231 million will fund state crisis intervention court proceedings, including but not limited to, extreme risk protection order (ERPO) programs that work to keep guns out of the hands of those who pose a threat to themselves or others. This investment in community safety is authorized by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022, historic legislation to address and reduce gun violence.

As part of the grant awards, the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office and the Oklahoma District Attorneys Council received $3,557,418. The funding could possibly be used for specialized court-based programs, such as drug, mental health, and veterans treatment courts, including those that specifically accept clients with firearms violations; behavioral health deflection for those at risk to themselves or others; funding for law enforcement agencies to safely secure, store, track and return relinquished guns; and more.

“The Justice Department is working relentlessly to protect communities from violent crime and the gun violence that often drives it, and the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program is an important part of that effort,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “These awards will support the kinds of crisis intervention programs that we know save lives and help protect children, families, and communities across the country from senseless acts of gun violence.”

“I am thankful for the more than $3.5 million dollar grant awarded to the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office. The Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program funding will support vital, evidence-based state and local programs that help save lives by reducing and preventing gun violence in communities across Oklahoma,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

These awards, administered by the Department’s Office of Justice Programs’ Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), provide funding to states for the creation and implementation of extreme risk protection order programs, state crisis intervention court proceedings, and related gun violence reduction initiatives. Extreme risk protection order programs empower family members, health care providers, school officials and law enforcement officers to petition a court to temporarily prevent a person from accessing firearms if they are found to be a danger to themselves or others. Funds can also support interventions like drug, mental health and veterans’ treatment courts, gun violence recovery courts, behavior health deflection and outpatient treatment centers.

The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act also seeks to ensure that extreme risk protection order laws and programs are implemented in accordance with the Constitution and provide for adequate due process protections. Projects funded under this program will need to demonstrate that they have taken measures to safeguard the constitutional rights of an individual subject to a crisis intervention program or ERPO initiative. The Justice Department has long supported state efforts to increase the use of ERPOs and in 2021 the Department released model legislation to help states create their own extreme risk protection order systems and provide for intervention before warning signs turn into tragedy.

Signed into law by President Biden in June 2022, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act is the most significant piece of federal gun safety legislation in almost three decades and comes as a response to recent mass shootings and to the far more common, but no less tragic, incidents of community gun violence. Including the Byrne State Crisis Intervention Program, the law allocates a total of $1.4 billion to OJP over five years to develop, implement, and sustain meaningful investments in safer communities.

A man pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to a December attack on his girlfriend, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

Imari Jamil Hines, 36, of Owasso, pleaded guilty to assault of an intimate/dating partner by strangling and suffocating in Indian Country.

In the early morning hours of Dec. 16, 2022, Hines and the victim got into an argument that turned physical inside the victim’s apartment. According to court documents, the victim told police that when the confrontation escalated, Hines pushed the victim and began strangling her. He then punched the victim in the face and banged her head on the ground repeatedly. The victim reported that she was able to flee the apartment, and Hines left the scene in her vehicle.

Officers observed bruising and red marks on the victim’s neck and petechiae in the victim’s eyes consistent with being strangled. They also noted the victim suffered a black eye and bruising on her face.

The FBI, Tulsa Police Department and Owasso Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Niko A. Boulieris is prosecuting the case.

Three men pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to committing sex crimes against children, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

Caleb Lee Giles, 23, of Afton, pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor in Indian Country and coercion and enticement of a minor. Giles perpetrated sex crimes against two minor victims starting in 2020. The crimes continued for several years. Giles began communicating with the first victim when the minor was 13 years old, which became a sexual relationship when she was 14. Giles began communicating with the second victim for the purpose of coercing her into sexual activity when she was 12 years old. The FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan E. Michel and Valeria G. Luster are prosecuting the case.

Ronald Paul Phillippe, 58, of Tulsa, pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor in Indian Country. Phillippe admitted that between September 2018 and Oct 1, 2021, he touched a minor younger than 12 years old in a sexual manner numerous times through the clothes. The FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Ihler is prosecuting the case.

Mark Kevin Henshall, 28, of Springfield, Missouri, pleaded guilty to sexual abuse of a minor in Indian Country and incest in Indian Country. Henshaw raped and regularly engaged in sexual activity with a minor relative for two years, starting when Henshall was 21. The FBI, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and Bartlesville Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Niko A. Boulieris is prosecuting the case. 

All defendants will be sentenced at later dates.

These cases were brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and CEOS, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.

United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the February 2023 Federal Grand Jury A.

The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.

Christopher Emile Champoux. Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography; Possession of Child Pornography. Champoux, 36, of Bristow, allegedly received, distributed, and possessed child sexual abuse material from Sept. 28, 2021, to Oct. 28, 2022. Homeland Security Investigations and Bristow Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney George Jiang is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-48

Juan Carlos Figueroa-Hernandez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Figueroa-Hernandez, 51, a Honduran national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on Nov. 1, 2016, at or near San Antonio, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cheryl L. Baber is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-56

Pedro Flores-Vivar. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Flores-Vivar, 49, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on Nov. 12, 2007, at or near Laredo, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cheryl L. Baber is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-57

Justin Randall Gering; Tyler Levi Tavis. Arson of Property Used in an Activity Affecting Interstate and Foreign Commerce; Damage by Fire of Property Owned by an Institution Receiving Federal Funding. Gering, 29, of Fairland, and Tavis, 22, of Miami, are charged with setting a fire in the Ottawa County Jail, located at 28 B Street SE in Miami, on Dec.23, 2022. The two were incarcerated in the jail at the time of the crime. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney George Jiang is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-62

Scotty Harjo. Second Degree Burglary in Indian Country (Counts 1-27) (superseding).  Harjo, 39, of Tulsa, is charged with breaking into commercial buildings on 27 different occasions in 2022 with the intent to steal property or cash. Businesses included restaurants, bars, coffee shops, bakeries, doughnut shops, barber shops, warehouses and more. The Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam C. Bailey is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-2.

Mary Frances Hernandez. Wire Fraud (Counts 1-2). From Feb. 6, 2018, to Dec. 19, 2018, Hernandez, 36, of Tulsa, was employed as a bookkeeper and general manager at a protective equipment supply company and allegedly made numerous unauthorized purchases using the company’s Chase Bank corporate credit card, totaling $18, 917.33. The U.S. Secret Service is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorneys George Jiang and Richard M. Cella are prosecuting the case. 23-CR-49

Mauricio Hernandez-Castillo. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien; Alien Unlawfully in the United States in Possession of a Firearm. Hernandez-Castillo, 36 of Tulsa, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on June 29, 2018, at or near Houston, Texas. He is further charged with being a felon in possession of an Anderson Manufacturing multi-caliber semiautomatic pistol and 195 rounds of ammunition. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rubens is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-63

Phillip Verlon Logan; David Bryson Logan. Arson of a Building Receiving Federal Funds. Verlon Logan, 38, of Wyandotte, and David Logan, 24, of Miami, allegedly set a fire in the Ottawa County Jail, located at 28 B Street SE in Miami, on June 4, 2022. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah D. Paisner is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-61

Abner Lopez-Alvarado. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien; Alien Unlawfully in the United States in Possession of a Firearm. Lopez-Alvarado, 33, a Honduran national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on Sept. 17, 2012. He was further charged with possessing a Sig Sauer Magnum caliber revolver while being unlawfully in the United States. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcements’ Enforcement and Removal Operations, the Tulsa Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rubens is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-53

Jayme Gamaliel Lopez-Olivares. Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by an Alien Illegally in the United States. Lopez-Olivares, 39, a Guatemalan national, is charged with possessing a Smith & Wesson 9mm caliber pistol and 16 rounds of ammunition while being unlawfully in the United States. The Tulsa Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon A. Skates is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-54

Jajuan Alexander Markham. Felon in Possession of a Firearm; Possession of Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute; Carrying a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime; Possession of a Stolen Firearm. On Dec. 3, 2022, Markham, 30, of Tulsa, a felon, was carrying a stolen Browning 9mm caliber semi-automatic pistol while possessing with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of fentanyl. The Drug Enforcement Administration and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Spencer Willson is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-46

Colby Howard McGinnis. Bank Fraud (1-51); Aggravated Identity Theft (52-102) . McGinnis, 31, of Tulsa, is charged with making dozens of illegal purchases using another individual’s stolen debit card. Purchases were made from Nov. 3, 2022, through Nov. 7, 2022, at convenience stores, clothing and shoe stores, restaurants, hotels, casinos and more. The Tulsa Police Department and U.S. Secret Service are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon A. Skates is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-60

Porfirio Mejia-Murcia. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Mejia-Murcia, 46, a Honduran national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States on Aug. 3, 2007, at or near Harlingen, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cheryl L. Baber is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-58

Cole Walker Morris. Threatening to Kidnap, Assault and Murder a Member of the Federal Judiciary. On Jan. 10, 2023, Morris, 29, of Tulsa, allegedly threatened to assault, kidnap, and murder a federal judge with the intent to intimidate the judge and his staff. The FBI, U.S. Marshals Service and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Bryan A. Achorn is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-47

Guillermo Rodriguez Garcia. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Rodriguez, 43, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on Oct. 31, 2022, at or near Laredo-Columbia Bridge, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Buscemi is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-55

Bryan Cordell Thomas.  Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Thomas, 35, of Tulsa, is charged with being a felon in possession of a Ruger 9mm automatic caliber pistol. Homeland Security Investigations and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Elmore is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-41

Lucas Anthony Walker. First Degree Murder in Indian Country; Carrying, Using, Brandishing, and Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence in Indian Country. Walker, 20, of Bartlesville, was indicted for the first degree murder of victims Deborah and Larry Dutton. The crimes occurred on Dec. 21, 2022. The Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and FBI are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric O. Johnston and Shakema M. Onias are prosecuting the case. 23-CR-50

A defendant pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court for shooting and killing a man who attempted to drive away after a brief verbal altercation, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

Dillon Charles Wilson, 26, of Tulsa, pleaded guilty to second degree murder in Indian Country.

Wilson admitted that on Jan. 19, 2022, he shot victim Jamitric Landrum, killing him.

Tulsa Police officers were dispatched to the 5900 block of Charles Page Boulevard in Tulsa just after 1 am in reference to the shooting. The victim was located in a wrecked vehicle with a gunshot wound to the back and was transported to the hospital where was later pronounced dead.

According to court documents, a witness told responding officers that she and the victim were driving around looking for an unknown individual they thought had try to force his way into her apartment. The victim was driving the vehicle and pulled into a parking lot near the apartment complex. She stated that she saw two men and a woman in the parking lot talking to a tow truck driver. At one point, Landrum unrolled the window and made a remark to one of the men, who considered it disrespectful. The man, later identified as Wilson, then pulled out a firearm. The witness stated that the victim attempted to drive away when Wilson started shooting at the vehicle. The victim was struck, grabbed his chest, attempted to continue driving, then crashed into a pole. The witness relayed that she saw the shooter get into a gray SUV that sped away.

The FBI and Tulsa Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney John E. Brasher is prosecuting the case.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.

A federal jury convicted a Tulsa man Thursday for holding a 72-year-old woman captive in her own home and brutally assaulting her, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

Elga Eugene Harper, 40, of Tulsa, was found guilty of kidnapping in Indian Country; aggravated sexual abuse by force and threat in Indian Country; assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm in Indian Country; and assault resulting in serious bodily injury in Indian Country.

“Elga Harper is a violent sexual predator who beat and sexually assaulted an elderly woman in her home,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “At trial, the victim testified and faced her attacker. It is never easy for victims to relive the details of their assault, and I always admire the courage and strength it takes to do so. This week, a federal jury heard her story, reviewed the evidence, and delivered justice for this victim.”

Harper, a transient, had previously performed work at the victim’s home, and the two had numerous conversations about philosophy and her work in counseling. At one point, the woman told Harper she no longer needed his assistance and paid him in full for his services.

On May 4, 2022, several months after their last meeting, Harper returned unexpectedly to the victim’s home and approached her asking for work or counseling services. The woman declined then Harper asked to use the bathroom in her home. She agreed. When Harper did not exit the bathroom, the victim walked toward the back of the home and saw Harper standing naked in her room. He immediately attacked the victim.

During the next four-hours, Harper violently physically and sexually assaulted the victim and refused to call 911 when she pleaded for him to do so. He further ransacked her home in search of her car title, took her car keys, and told the victim to “shut up” when she prayed aloud. When he finally fled from her home at approximately 6 pm, the victim called 911, reporting the assault and that Elga Harper was responsible.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found the victim gravely injured, and she again identified her attacker as Harper. The victim was transported to the hospital. She suffered extensive injuries to her face, head, neck, arms, hands, and legs and continues to receive treatment for her injuries.

Harper was located and taken into custody on May 10, 2022.

The FBI and Tulsa Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chantelle D. Dial and Melody N. Nelson are prosecuting the case.

A man who attempted to fraudulently acquire more than $92,000 worth of commercial products from a California-based company pleaded guilty in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

By the time the fraudulent activity was discovered, the defendant had obtained products valued at $27,991.01 without paying for them.

On Tuesday, Wayne Allen Baker, 53, of Bixby, pleaded guilty to wire fraud.

According to court documents, Baker admitted that he devised and carried out a scheme to defraud the national commercial products distributor, which sells plumbing supplies, waterworks and fire and fabrication products.

As part of his scheme, Baker told the company that he was acting on behalf of a corporation based out of Dallas, abbreviated in court documents as EMI. Baker altered EMI’s name by inserting a hyphen, thus making it appear legitimate. Baker then set up online accounts with the California company where he falsely represented that he was acting on behalf of EMI as their chief executive officer. Using the fraudulently created EMI accounts, Baker ordered products from the California company worth a total of $92,098.25 and directed the goods to be delivered to his residence in Bixby and to a separate location in Tulsa. Between April 14 and April 28, 2020, Baker submitted approximately 59 internet orders for the equipment items. Baker initially made the orders appear legitimate, in part, by making bogus partial online payments to the company. Ultimately, Baker only received a portion of the products that he fraudulently ordered.

The FBI, U.S. Secret Service, and Bixby Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard M. Cella is prosecuting the case.

A Tulsa man who took part in two carjackings was sentenced in federal court Friday, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. His two codefendants were sentenced in January.

Chief U.S. District Judge John F. Heil III sentenced Carlos Alfredo Arroliga, 27, to 168 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. He previously pleaded guilty to two counts of carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

“Carlos Arroliga took part in two armed carjackings at apartment complexes in Tulsa. He and his two cohorts are now headed to federal prison where they can no longer threaten, terrorize and put Tulsans’ lives at risk,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “Protecting our community from violence is a top priority for the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our partners at the Tulsa Police Department. I appreciate Chief Franklin and the officers who have dedicated themselves to seeking justice and protecting this community. Their work is critical to bringing violent offenders to account for the harm they cause to victims.”

Codefendant Raul Hernandez-Moreno, 22, was sentenced to 225 months in federal prison after he was convicted at trial of two counts of carjacking; two counts of carrying, using and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; and possession of a firearm and ammunition by an alien illegally in the United States.

Codefendant Nicole Marie Rumualdo, aka Nicole Hughes, 29, was sentenced to 144 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to two counts of carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

On Oct. 26, 2021, Hernandez-Moreno, Rumualdo, and Arroliga were responsible for two carjackings in Tulsa. At 7:30 am, Hernandez-Moreno and his two accomplices pulled alongside a gray 2006 Mazda 3 in the Echo Trails Apartments in Tulsa. The defendants exited their blue SUV, and Rumualdo pointed a loaded handgun at the victim. Hernandez-Moreno blocked the victim from behind. Speaking in Spanish, Rumualdo demanded the victim’s wallet and cell phone. When the victim responded that he did not have his wallet and cell phone, Rumualdo snatched the victim’s keys. Hernandez-Moreno and Rumualdo drove off in the Mazda, and Arroliga followed in the blue SUV.

A few hours later, the three defendants targeted a maintenance worker in his parked vehicle at Bristol Park Apartments in Tulsa. The victim was preparing to perform repairs at the complex when the defendants pulled into a nearby spot. Hernandez-Moreno then approached the victim and pointed a loaded gun at the victim, ordering him to hand over his money. Hernandez-Moreno then took the victim’s keys and drove off in the victim’s 2010 gray Chevrolet Silverado. Arroliga and Rumualdo followed in the blue SUV.

Officers were able to locate surveillance footage of the crimes from one of the apartment complexes. The video showed the vehicle used by the defendants, a bright blue Ford Escape with a paper tag and unique license plate frame. The same day of the crime, the blue Ford Escape was observed on Garnett Road, and a traffic stop was initiated because it matched the description of the SUV seen in the surveillance video. Arroliga was driving the vehicle and taken into custody for questioning. On Oct. 27, 2020, Hernandez-Moreno and Rumualdo were found in the stolen Mazda at the Echo Trails Apartment complex. They were immediately taken into custody.

The Tulsa Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gina S. Gilmore, Joel-lyn A. McCormick, and Thomas E. Buscemi prosecuted the case.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime.

A defendant was sentenced Tuesday in federal court for killing a man with a machete in Claremore in 2017, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Michael Eugene Spears, 59, of Claremore, to 300 months in prison for the second degree murder of victim Mark McKinney. Following his prison sentence, he will spend five years on supervised release.

“The defendant’s murderous act and attempted cover-up earned him a 25-year federal prison sentence,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “The dedicated work of the Claremore Police Department, FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Tom Duncombe and Justin Bish have ensured justice for the victim and his family. I am proud of their resolve to hold accountable those who commit brutal acts of violence in our communities.”

"Today's sentencing brings to an end a tragic story of cold-blooded murder and an attempted cover-up by a merciless and violent criminal," said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Gray. "Thanks to a determined investigation by the FBI, Claremore Police Department, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Oklahoma, Spears will be held accountable for his heinous crime."

The murder occurred following a disagreement between the two men on Nov. 18, 2017, in a trailer owned by Spears’ sister. Sometime after the brutal attack, Spears told a relative about his crime and asked to borrow a truck so he could transport the victim’s body to a lake, where he planned to dispose of it. A relative reported the crime to law enforcement the next morning and the victim’s body was recovered from the trailer.

Prosecutors argued for a sentence of 30 years in prison, given the brutal nature of the murder. In particular, prosecutors noted how the defendant had stabbed the victim repeatedly with the sixteen-inch-blade weapon, beat him until he was unrecognizable, took his phone and the few dollars in his pocket, and left him to die on the floor while Spears spent hours drinking.

The defense argued for a sentence of 15 years, contending that Spears’ years of alcoholism, his troubled childhood, his issues with judgment and impulse control, and evidence of cognitive decline showed a lower sentence was appropriate. The defense also pointed to Spears’ lack of criminal history and contended that Spears may have acted in self-defense.

Prosecutors noted that the defendant’s issues with impulse control and judgment were the very reasons he continued to pose a danger to the public and that the evidence at the crime scene in no way corroborated Spears’ claims of self-defense.

The FBI and Claremore Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas E. Duncombe and Justin G. Bish prosecuted the case.

Spears was previously charged and convicted of first degree murder in Rogers County District Court. Because the defendant is a tribal citizen and the crime occurred within the Cherokee Nation reservation, his state conviction was vacated following the Supreme Court’s McGirt v. Oklahoma decision and subsequent other court decisions. The U.S. Attorney’s Office then prosecuted the case. First degree murder under Oklahoma law has similar elements to the federal crime of second degree murder.

A former chief financial officer for a company with offices in Oklahoma pleaded guilty in federal court after failing to pay over to the IRS $3.6 million in income and FICA tax withholdings and for embezzling more than $130,000 from the company.

Paul B. Bowker, 60, a British national, fled the United States three years ago after being charged with the crimes. The U.S. Attorney’s Office eventually received a tip that led to Bowker’s arrest by local authorities in the United Kingdom. The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs worked with officials from the United Kingdom to ensure Bowker's extradition to the United States for prosecution.

Today, Bowker pleaded guilty to one count of failure to account for and pay over withholding and FICA (Social Security) taxes and one count of bank fraud. A federal judge will sentence Bowker at a later date.

At the time of the crime, Bowker was the chief financial officer and vice president of finance at a company that maintained offices in the Northern District of Oklahoma. In his role at the company, Bowker was responsible for withholding income taxes and FICA taxes from employees’ paychecks and for paying the monies over to the IRS. According to court document, from April 2014 through January 2016, Bowker withheld the funds but willfully failed to file quarterly employment tax returns for the company and failed to pay over the majority of the employment taxes owed to the IRS, totaling nearly $3.6 million. During the investigation, agents discovered that the defendant had not embezzled the tax monies that he willfully neglected to pay, and the IRS was able to recover the funds.

Bowker also committed bank fraud as the company’s chief financial officer. In his position, Bowker was entrusted with a company’s Visa credit card and was responsible for paying the monthly credit card bill by authorizing the electronic transfer of funds from the company’s checking account at Mabrey Bank, in Bixby, to the company’s Visa account. From January 2014 through December 2015, Bowker fraudulently used the Visa credit card to make $130,000 worth of purchases for his own benefit. Bowker purchased items at drug stores, department stores, online retailers, furniture stores, gas stations, and liquor stores. He paid for the Visa charges with funds from the company’s checking account at Mabrey Bank.

Bowker did this by calling the credit card processor and authorizing a one-time electronic transfer from Mabrey Bank to pay the credit card bill.  By authorizing the payment via telephone, Bowker was able to avoid the company’s two-signature requirement on company checks.

IRS/Criminal Investigation and the FBI conducted the investigation. The Department of Justice Office of International Affairs coordinated the defendant’s extradition. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard M. Cella and recently retired Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles M. McLoughlin prosecuted the case.

An Afton man pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court for filming himself sexually abusing a young child that he had handcuffed and gagged, announced US Attorney Clint Johnson.

Glenn David Nickols, 40, pleaded guilty to aggravated sexual abuse of a minor under 12 years of age in Indian Country and sexual exploitation of a child.

In March of 2021, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) received a CyberTipline report regarding an email account used by Nickols to transmit more than 100 videos and images of child sexual abuse. However, agents noticed that several files were not of previously identified victims of child sexual abuse material. Those images and videos showed multiple instances of a man wearing a hat with the name “Buckster” sexually abusing a child with tape over her mouth and whose arms and legs had been restrained with handcuffs and shackles.

After identifying Nickols and his address, OSBI conducted a search warrant on his home where they seized evidence of the abuse. Agents were also able to identify the young Native American victim and ensure she was safe from any future harm.

Nickols was arrested and interviewed by OSBI agents. During the interview, he identified himself as the adult male seen in the videos, that his nickname was “Buck,” and that he was the owner of the account. He told agents the abuse took place at his home in Afton, within the bounds of the Cherokee Nation. 

The OSBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Nassar is prosecuting the case.

A 31-year-old Tulsa man pleaded guilty in federal court to striking two victims with a metal pry bar in a violent assault, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

Christopher Travon Brown was convicted of two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm in Indian Country.

According to court documents, on June 19, 2022, Broken Arrow police officers responded to a 911 call related to the assault. Upon arrival, officers discovered two victims at the residence. A male victim sustained serious injuries to his arm and head and displayed a significant altered mental state consistent with a head injury. A female victim had blunt force trauma to her left forearm. She reported to officers that Brown had forced his way through a bedroom door. He then entered the room wielding a 24-inch, steel crowbar and started striking the male victim with it. She stated that in the process, he struck her on the forearm.

The male victim was transported to Saint Francis Hospital, where he was placed in intensive care for life threatening head injuries.

When apprehended and interviewed by police, Brown initially claimed self-defense. He later admitted that he was the aggressor, stating that he took a crowbar from the garage, broke down the bedroom door with his shoulder and committed the assaults.

Brown faces a maximum federal sentence of 10 years in prison. He is currently in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service and will be sentenced at a later date.

The FBI and Broken Arrow Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Niko A. Boulieris is prosecuting the case.

A federal jury today found a Depew man guilty of sexually abusing a child younger than 12 years old and sexually propositioning and inappropriately touching two teenagers.

Darrel Dean Guinn, 37, was convicted of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor under 12 in Indian Country; two counts of coercion and enticement of a minor in Indian Country; and abusive sexual contact with a minor in Indian Country.

“Darrel Guinn preyed on, manipulated and repeatedly sexually abused a young girl. He also made sexual advances toward two other minors,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “I want to thank federal prosecutors and our law enforcement partners for bringing this case to trial and the jury for delivering justice on behalf of those victims harmed by Mr. Guinn.”

Guinn’s crimes were reported to authorities after a child revealed to two older siblings that she had been sexually abused by Guinn. The two older siblings also disclosed that Guinn had sexually propositioned them on several occasions.

During trial, prosecutors brought forth evidence showing that Guinn sexually abused the young child on at least three occasions from approximately June 23, 2020, through Aug. 1, 2021.

The child stated that the abuse began when she was 10 years old. At that time, the two were watching a movie alone, and he sexually assaulted her. When he was done, he told her not to tell anyone. The final time he sexually assaulted her, he told the victim she was his “favorite” and that it was “their secret.”

The second victim stated that when she was 14, Guinn asked her if he could have sex with her. On another occasion when she was 14, he was watching a movie with the teenager, laid next to her, and began to push his pelvis against her buttocks, humping her.

Finally, a third victim disclosed that Guinn propositioned her for sex when she was approximately 16 or 17. She also reported that at one point, Guinn seemed to be rubbing his groin on her buttocks.

During the investigation, two other adults came forward stating they were sexually assaulted by Guinn when they were children and he was a teenager.

One woman stated that Guinn exposed himself to her when she was five years old and he was 13. He began to ostracize the victim after she disclosed the incident.

After the exposure, Guinn began sexually abusing another child on a regular basis when she was between the ages of six and nine years old. He was approximately seven years older than the victim.

At trial, victims and witnesses also said that Guinn regularly commented to the victims that “incest was best,” that he was “bored and horny,” or called the victims “teases.” Experts testified that sexualized comments are often associated with grooming behavior, where perpetrators try to desensitize victims to sexual commentary and acts in order to exploit and abuse them.

In closing, federal prosecutors reminded the jury that five different people came into court to testify about the abuse they endured at the hands of Guinn at various times in his life. Prosecutors stated that “incest is best” and “bored and horny” were not simply immature jokes to Guinn, but rather were mottos Guinn lived by. They asked the jury to hold Guinn accountable for his criminal conduct.

The jury deliberated 3 hours and found the defendant guilty on all counts.

The FBI and Muscogee Nation Lighthorse Tribal Police Department conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stacey P. Todd and Kenneth Elmore are prosecuting the case.

A man and woman who were involved in two carjackings at apartment complexes in Tulsa were sentenced in federal court this week, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. A third codefendant is scheduled to be sentenced in February.

U.S. District Judge Billy R. Wilson sentenced Raul Hernandez-Moreno, 22, to 225 months in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. He was convicted at trial in January 2022 of two counts of carjacking; two counts of carrying, using and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; and possession of a firearm and ammunition by an alien illegally in the United States.

U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel sentenced codefendant Nicole Marie Rumualdo, aka Nicole Hughes, 29, to 144 months in federal prison followed by 5 years of supervised release. She previously pleaded guilty to two counts of carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

Codefendant Carlos Alfredo Arroliga, 27, will be sentenced Feb. 3. He also pleaded guilty to two counts of carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

“The defendants orchestrated two carjackings, pointed loaded firearms at the victims, and terrorized the victims. These convictions and lengthy sentences should send a message that my office and our law enforcement partners will continue to hold accountable dangerous offenders who threaten the public and commit violent acts within northeastern Oklahoma,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

On Oct. 26, 2021, Hernandez-Moreno, Rumualdo, and Arroliga were responsible for two carjackings in Tulsa. At 7:30 am, Hernandez-Moreno and his two accomplices pulled alongside a gray 2006 Mazda 3 in the Echo Trails Apartments in Tulsa. The defendants exited their blue SUV, and Rumualdo pointed a loaded handgun at the victim. Hernandez-Moreno blocked the victim from behind. Speaking in Spanish, Rumualdo demanded the victim’s wallet and cell phone. When the victim responded that he did not have his wallet and cell phone, Rumualdo snatched the victim’s keys. Hernandez-Moreno and Rumualdo drove off in the Mazda, and Arroliga followed in the blue SUV.

A few hours later, the three defendants targeted a maintenance worker in his parked vehicle at Bristol Park Apartments in Tulsa. The victim was preparing to perform repairs at the complex when the defendants pulled into a nearby spot. Hernandez-Moreno then approached the victim and pointed a loaded gun at the victim, ordering him to hand over his money. Hernandez-Moreno then took the victim’s keys and drove off in the victim’s 2010 gray Chevrolet Silverado. Arroliga and Rumualdo followed in the blue SUV.

Officers were able to locate surveillance footage of the crimes from one of the apartment complexes. The video showed the vehicle used by the defendants, a bright blue Ford Escape with a paper tag and unique license plate frame. The same day of the crime, the blue Ford Escape was observed on Garnett Road, and a traffic stop was initiated because it matched the description of the SUV seen in the surveillance video. Arroliga was driving the vehicle and taken into custody for questioning. On Oct. 27, 2020, Hernandez-Moreno and Rumualdo were found in the stolen Mazda at the Echo Trails Apartment complex. They were immediately taken into custody.

The Tulsa Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gina S. Gilmore, Joel-lyn A. McCormick, and Thomas E. Buscemi prosecuted the case. U.S. District Judges Wilson and Sippel are visiting judges who normally serve in the Eastern District of Arkansas and Eastern District of Missouri respectively.

This case was prosecuted as part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. The Department of Justice reinvigorated PSN in 2017 as part of the Department’s renewed focus on targeting violent criminals, directing all U.S. Attorney’s Offices to work in partnership with federal, state, local, and tribal law enforcement, and the local community to develop effective, locally based strategies to reduce violent crime

A Glenpool man was sentenced Tuesday for sexually exploiting a 16-year-old and other crimes, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.
 
U.S. District Judge Rodney W. Sippel sentenced Thomas Anthony Pearce, 55, to life in federal prison. On March 22, 2022, Pearce was convicted at trial of coercion or enticement of a minor, production of child pornography, possession of child pornography in Indian Country, and distribution of marijuana. 
 
“Thomas Pearce preyed on a teenage girl that he coerced into engaging in sexual acts by providing her drugs. His illicit behavior escalated when he restrained her with zip ties and sexually assaulted her. He also photographed the sexual acts resulting in the producing and possessing child pornography charges,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “Federal prosecutors and our law enforcement partners will do everything in our power to protect victims and bring to justice those who have harmed them. I am proud to say justice has been served in this case.”

“Protecting minors from sexual exploitation is one of the primary law enforcement priorities of Homeland Security Investigations. The deviant, calculated and exploitive actions of this defendant caused deep wounds and scars to the children he routinely victimized,” said Lester R. Hayes Jr., Special Agent in Charge HSI Dallas. “Our hope is now that justice has spoken and with this predator spending the remainder of his life behind bars, the victims he abused can continue the healing process.”

The crimes occurred from Feb. 3, 2021, through Feb. 8, 2021. Pearce met the victim online, coerced her into sexual activity, provided her with marijuana, and took sexually explicit photographs of the teenager. He was also found to possess additional child pornography on various electronic devices.

Pearce’s crimes were discovered after an alert Jenks police officer noticed a suspicious white Dodge pick-up parked on a partially paved area just off a road in the early morning hours of Feb. 8, 2021. As the officer turned around to investigate, the driver, later identified as Pearce, quickly drove away. The officer conducted a traffic stop and initiated contact with Pearce and a minor female in the passenger’s seat. Pearce claimed the minor was his niece but could not provide a phone number for the officer to contact the child’s parents.

During the stop, the minor victim told officers that she was high on marijuana that Pearce had given her and stated that nothing had occurred “this time” but that the defendant had zip tied her hands and took explicit pictures of her on another occasion. Pearce was taken into custody.

During a search of the vehicle at the scene, officers located marijuana, four thumb drives, a package of zip-ties, duct tape, three cell phones and other items.

The victim was later forensically interviewed. She disclosed that she and Pearce had contact on six different occasions and that Pearce’s sexual advances and abuse escalated with each encounter, to include sexually assaulting the victim, ziptying her, and taking sexually explicit photographs of her.

She stated that Pearce provided her with marijuana. He also told her to take a pill, which she refused.

On a phone found in the vehicle, investigators with Homeland Security Investigations and the Jenks Police Department discovered a file with the victim’s name on it, which contained explicit photographs depicting the sexual acts that the victim described in her interview.

In text messages between Pearce and the victim, Pearce made references to his sexual abuse of the victim, told the victim that she should take a pill that would make her feel good because “he said so,” and stated that he had had sexual encounters with other minors. When the victim texted that she did not want to meet him again, he threatened to harm her siblings.

Search warrants were also executed on Pearce’s residence in Glenpool and at two storage units in Tulsa. Officers seized a computer and numerous hard drives during the searches.

On a thumb drive seized, investigators found another file with a female’s name on it that contained sexually explicit images of a minor. The woman, now an adult, was contacted. She confirmed that she had met Pearce online while she was in high school and that Pearce had sex with her and took sexually explicit photographs. She stated that Pearce would pay her in cash, gifts and marijuana.

Investigators also located child pornography on one of the hard drives seized. Video and image titles specifically referenced “raped teens” and other child sexual abuse.

Pearce was one of 33 defendants apprehended during Operation Clean Sweep. The four-month long operation focused on identifying predators who exploit children and ultimately led to the identification of 12 child victims. The operation was conducted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and more than a dozen local, state, tribal and federal law enforcement agencies in 10 of the 11 counties in the Northern District of Oklahoma.

Homeland Security Investigations and the Jenks Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Victor A.S. Régal and Richard M. Cella prosecuted the case.

A Bartlesville man was charged Monday in federal court for killing a Washington County couple, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

Lucas Anthony Walker, 20, was charged by Criminal Complaint with first degree murder in Indian Country and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

The Complaint alleges that on or about Dec. 19, 2022, Walker entered the home near Dewey while the victims were sleeping and killed the couple when they awoke. It further alleges that he and a minor later buried the victims in the home’s back yard.

On January 20, 2023, personnel from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the residence to conduct a welfare check based on the suspicious disappearance of the couple, Deborah and Larry Dutton, who lived there.

According to the Complaint, Walker and the minor were occupying the residence when law enforcement arrived. During a search of the residence, evidence was allegedly discovered indicating a crime had likely taken place.

This matter will proceed in United States District Court in Tulsa, where the Complaint is currently pending. A Complaint is a temporary charge alleging a violation of law. For the case to proceed to trial, the United States must present the charge to a federal Grand Jury within 30 days. Once a Grand Jury returns an Indictment, a defendant has a right to a jury trial at which the United States would have the burden of proving the defendant’s guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, and the FBI are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric O. Johnston and Shakema M. Onias are prosecuting the case.

A man who was discovered transporting illegal immigrants across northeastern Oklahoma pleaded guilty this week in federal court.

Alfonso Solis-Melendez, 33, a Mexican national, pleaded guilty to transportation of illegal aliens.

The defendant and his 11 passengers were discovered after an Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper stopped the minivan they were traveling in for speeding on the Will Rogers Turnpike. Seven were riding in seats, and the others were lying across the floor of the minivan while it was traveling at highway speeds. Through the investigation, agents learned the defendant was paid to transport the immigrants from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to St. Lewis, Missouri. Passengers were from Mexico, El Salvador, Bolivia, and Guatemala.

In August 2022, Solis-Melendez was also charged by the state of Texas with similar crimes.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations and Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rubens prosecuted the case.

United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the January 2023 Federal Grand Jury B.

The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.

Alphonso Alvarez-Torrez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Alvarez-Torrez, 42, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on Nov. 1, 2019, at or near San Ysidro, California. U.S. Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rubens is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-31

Kelly Ross Dawson. Theft of Government Property Over $1,000; Misuse of Social Security Funds; Concealment of Material Facts. Dawson, 47, is alleged to have stolen a total of $59,844 in Social Security Title II Survivor Benefits. The benefits were provided to Dawson and minors in his care based on specific criteria. From June 2016 through February 2018, Dawson no longer met those criteria and did not report the changes to the Social Security Administration. Instead, he allegedly continued to receive the benefits and used the funds for his own personal gain. The Social Security Administration is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shannon B. Cozzoni is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-32

Samson Eugene Frye Jr. Felony Murder in Indian Country; Child Neglect in Indian Country. On Nov. 9, 2018, Frye Jr., 24, of Afton, is alleged to have murdered an infant while abusing the infant. He is further charged with neglecting the child from Aug. 10, 2018, through Nov. 9, 2018. The FBI, Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, Grove Police Department, and Oklahoma Highway Patrol are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Ihler is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-17

Jojani Saday Garcia-Luevano. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Garcia-Luevano,  22, a Mexican National, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on Feb. 20, 2019, at or near Nogales, Arizona. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rubens is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-19

Adrian Llanas -Flores. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Llanas -Flores is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on May 12, 2021, at or near Calexico, California. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rubens is prosecuting the case.  23-CR-33

Melanie Ann Mcelyea. Willfully Making a Threat to Kill, Injure, Intimidate, and Damage by Means of an Explosive. On Nov. 22, 2022, Mcelyea, 42, of Vinita, allegedly threatened to kill an individual at a law office located within the Muscogee Nation reservation. She left a voicemail suggesting that she would blow up a courthouse and the law office as well. She then stated, “…you will all be dead…” The courthouse Mcelyea was referencing was the Cherokee Nation Courthouse in Tahlequah, which is within the Cherokee Nation reservation. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, and Muscogee Nation Lighthorse Tribal Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert T. Raley is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-20

Zachariah Kade McGuire. Possession of a Firearm in a Federal Facility. On Nov. 14, 2022, McGuire brought a firearm into the Veteran Affairs Community-Based Outpatient Clinic, located at 8921 South Mingo Road, Tulsa, Oklahoma. See initial Complaint press release here. The Department of Veteran Affairs Office of Inspector General, Department of Veteran Affairs Police, Tulsa Police Department, and FBI are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert T. Raley is prosecuting the case. AUSA Raley is the National Security Anti-Terrorism (ATAC) Prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Oklahoma. 23-CR-21

Pascual Medrano-Santibanez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Medrano-Santibanez, 56, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on Jan. 2, 2020, at or near Laredo, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Buscemi is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-30

Simon Pedro Ramirez-Contreras. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Ramirez-Contreras, 23, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on July 30, 2018, at or near Hidalgo, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert T. Raley is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-22

Oscar Daniel Salazar-Alcantar. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Salazar-Alcantar, 36, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on Dec. 29, 2018, at or near Calexico, California. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert T. Raley is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-29

Rayes Sanchez. Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country. Sanchez, 24, of Tulsa, allegedly assaulted an individual with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm on Dec. 12, 2022.  The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rubens is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-23

David Serrano-Hernandez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Serrano-Hernandez, 38, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on June 7, 2009,  at or near Naco, Arizona. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert T. Raley is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-24

Devan Shay Tiffany. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; Possession of an Unregistered Weapon Made from a Shotgun Having a Barrel of Less Than 18 Inches in Length. On Sept. 7, 2022, Tiffany, 36, of Miami, Oklahoma, was a felon in possession of a Savage Arms 16-guage double-barrel shotgun and four rounds of ammunition. Additionally, the shotgun’s barrel was less than 18 inches in length and not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Miami Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Buscemi is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-25

Noe Vazquez-Solis. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Vazquez-Solis, 37, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after being removed on Oct. 8, 2020, at or near Hidalgo, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rubens is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-28

Justus Wayne Wayt. Robbery in Indian Country (Counts 1, 3, 5); Carrying, Using, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence in Indian Country (Counts 2, 4, 6). Wayt, 25, of Tulsa, allegedly brandished a firearm and robbed three different victims at three convenience stores on Nov. 22, 2022; Nov. 24, 2022; and Dec. 20, 2022. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Buscemi is prosecuting the case.  23-CR-26

Marvin Thomas Wilkins. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. Wilkins, 63, of Big Cabin, is charged with being a felon in possession of a Remington 270 caliber bolt-action rifle; a JC Higgins 12-guage caliber shotgun;  Marlin Firearms (Glenfield) .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle; a Savage. 22 caliber bolt-action rifle; a Rifle Factory Ishapore (R.F.I.) 7.62mm caliber bolt-action rifle; a Marlin Firearms (Glenfield) .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle; and four rounds of ammunition. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Mayes Countyh Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Ihler is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-27

U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson announced today that the Northern District of Oklahoma collected $2,954,438.70 in criminal and civil actions in Fiscal Year 2022. Of this amount, $1,958,593.62 was collected in criminal actions and $995,845.08 was collected in civil actions. 

“The Asset Recovery Unit at the U.S. Attorney’s Office ensures that court ordered restitution is paid to victims, fines are collected, and civil financial obligations are met. In fiscal year 2022, this team of federal prosecutors, investigators, and professional legal staff diligently worked to collect almost $3 million on behalf of taxpayers and victims of crime,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “I am proud of their commitment to this important mission.”

Cases and collection amounts varied.

For example, in March 2022, the Asset Recovery Unit recovered $7,444 in court ordered restitution from Shannon Kepler who was convicted of the murder of Jeremey Lake. The victim’s family requested the funds to purchase a headstone for Lake. 

Also in March, Adena Collard, who in 2004 was convicted of defrauding several Tulsa area churches, made a lump sum payment of $141, 975 after 18 years of nominal payments. The funds paid, in full, her court ordered restitution of $151,529.

In May 2022, defendant Igor Kolosha was convicted of possession of child pornography. As part of his sentence, he was ordered to pay $8,000 in restitution. The final payment was received in May 2022. Individuals who commit child pornography crimes are often ordered to pay restitution to identified victims as required by the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistant Act of 2018.

In November 2022, Dr. Adam Gallardo Arredondo paid $216,624 of his court ordered restitution for accepting illegal kickback payments. Arredondo solicited and received checks from OK Compounding in exchange for referring his patients’ compounding prescription to the pharmacy, which is now closed. The compounding prescriptions were paid for by federal healthcare programs; therefore, the kickbacks paid to Arredondo violated federal law.

The U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, along with the department’s litigating divisions, are responsible for enforcing and collecting civil and criminal debts owed to the U.S. and criminal debts owed to federal crime victims. The law requires defendants to pay restitution to victims of certain federal crimes who have suffered a physical injury or financial loss. While restitution is paid to the victim, criminal fines and felony assessments are paid to the department’s Crime Victims Fund, which distributes the funds collected to federal and state victim compensation and victim assistance programs.

Additionally, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Oklahoma, working with partner agencies and divisions, collected $633, 952 in asset forfeiture actions in FY 2022. Forfeited assets deposited into the Department of Justice Assets Forfeiture Fund are used to restore funds to crime victims and for a variety of law enforcement purposes.

An Oklahoma inmate who used contraband cell phones to lead a methamphetamine distribution operation pleaded guilty this week in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

Richard Dale Deeter, Jr., 45, pleaded guilty to drug conspiracy. Deeter admitted that he directed other members of the conspiracy to obtain kilogram amounts of methamphetamine and to distribute the drug in Tulsa. He conducted the conspiracy while incarcerated for a state drug trafficking conviction.

“Richard Deeter and his five coconspirators have now pleaded guilty to drug trafficking crimes in federal court,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “Homeland Security Investigations led the investigation in partnership with the Drug Enforcement Administration, Tulsa Police Department, Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. These critical partnerships are force multipliers, and the convictions are indicative of what happens when local, state, and federal law enforcement join together to fight large scale criminal activity. I’m proud of the agents, officers and federal prosecutor David Nasar for their work in identifying, investigating and disrupting this drug trafficking organization.”

“HSI will never relent in prosecuting those who peddle illicit drugs within our communities,” said Robert Melton, Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the HSI Dallas - Oklahoma and Texas Panhandle Division. “This defendant’s guilty plea and those of his cohorts should send a clear message that we will hold drug traffickers accountable for their crimes, whether in prison or on the street.”

According to court documents, Deeter directed the purchase and pick up of bulk quantities of methamphetamine from Oklahoma City for the purpose of redistributing the drug within the Northern District of Oklahoma. Deeter and his coconspirators utilized Facebook messenger, video calls, text messaging, encrypted instant messaging, and other methods to conduct operations. Deeter communicated with his coconspirators and others about where to pick up the methamphetamine, drug pricing, and to whom the drug would be sold. He accepted payment from coconspirators and drug customers through the use of Green Dot cards and Cash App. He was also alleged to have  directed the use of firearms to further the drug operation and the collection of drug debts. The conspirators kept residences in Tulsa for storing the guns and methamphetamine.

Deeter’s five codefendants have also pleaded guilty for their roles in the drug conspiracy.

-Nicole Cox, 27, of Mountain Home, Arkansas: drug conspiracy

-Izabella Marie Boling, 26, of Broken Arrow: possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute

-Donnie B. Pearson, 37, of Sand Springs: possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute

-Jonna Elisa Steele, 38, of Tulsa: use of a communication facility in committing, causing, and facilitating the commission of a drug trafficking felony

-John Wesley Boyd Sparks, 35, of Tulsa: possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute

Deeter, Pearson, and Sparks are members of the Universal Aryan Brotherhood.

See indictment press release here.

The prosecution was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

Homeland Security Investigations, the Drug Enforcement Administration, Tulsa Police Department, Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Nasar prosecuted the case.

A Lawton man was convicted in federal court for attempting to entice an undercover police officer whom he believed was a minor and for enticing a 12-year-old child to send sexually explicit pictures of herself, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

Justin Eli Muncy, 46, of Lawton, pleaded guilty to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor; coercion and enticement of a minor; production of child pornography; and two counts of tampering with a witness by corrupt persuasion. Muncy was a convicted sex offender when he committed the crimes.

The stipulations in the plea agreement call for Muncy to serve 35 years in prison. A federal judge will determine whether to approve the plea agreement at later sentencing hearing.

According to the agreement, Muncy admitted that from Jan. 27, 2022, to April 14, 2022, he attempted to entice an individual he believed to be a 14-year-old minor to engage in sexual activity. Instead, he was communicating with an undercover officer.

Additionally, Muncy admitted that he coerced and enticed a 12-year-old child to take sexually explicit pictures of herself and send them to him via social media from Oct. 10, 2021, to April 14, 2022. The images are considered child pornography.

Finally, starting on April 14, 2022, Muncy made multiple attempts to obstruct the investigation and criminal proceedings related to his illicit conduct. For example, when he learned of a pending state arrest warrant, he hid his cell phone in the crawlspace of his home so investigators could not locate it. After his arrest, he wrote multiple handwritten letters from Tulsa County Jail requesting that a witness wipe his cellphone data or plant his phone at another individual’s home to falsely implicate that individual. Muncy also mailed several letters directing the witness to lie during court proceedings regarding his case.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah Paisner is prosecuting the case.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Justice Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

A  man who initiated a January 2022 shooting in north Tulsa that caused the death of an 18-year-old and seriously injured a second teenager pleaded guilty in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

Sir Michael Morgan Jr., 19, of Tulsa, pleaded guilty to second degree murder in Indian Country.

Morgan admitted that on Jan. 29, 2022, he shot and killed victim Isaiah Jones because he believed Jones was involved in the shooting of his friend in a previous incident. Prosecutors contended that Morgan initiated the incident in which he also shot a 17-year-old, seriously injuring him. During an exchange of gunfire, Morgan was also shot.

An individual who knew the two victims said he heard the gunshots from inside his home and transported the victims to the hospital. Once there, Jones was pronounced dead from multiple gunshot wounds. The second victim survived.

Morgan was transported by ambulance to the hospital where he was treated for two gunshot wounds.

The FBI and Tulsa Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stacey P. Todd is prosecuting the case.

United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the January 2023 Federal Grand Jury A.

The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.

Legreasha Junice Alexander. Wire Fraud (Counts 1-4). From April 11, 2021, to the date of the indictment, Alexander, 40, of Tulsa, devised a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration (SBA) when she submitted two fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications and two PPP loan forgiveness applications to an SBA approved lender in Laguna Hills, California. The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Office of Inspector General and U.S. Department of Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard M. Cella is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-6

Edson Vladimir Bellefleur. Wire Fraud (Counts 1-4). From April 2, 2021, through the date of the indictment, Bellefleur, 36, of Tulsa, devised a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration (SBA) by submitting two fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications and two PPP loan forgiveness applications to an SBA approved lender in Laguna Hills, California. The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Office of Inspector General and U.S. Department of Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard M. Cella is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-5

Jose Cruz-Perez.  Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Cruz-Perez, 29, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on Aug. 2, 2018, at or near San Luis, Arizona. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cheryl L. Baber is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-4

Luis Fuentes-Martinez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Fuentes-Martinez, 36, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on Jan. 4, 2018, at or near Laredo, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rubens is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-3

Tara Alvita-Gourd Gutierrez. Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute (Count 1) Distribution of Methamphetamine (Counts 2-3) Use of a Communication Facility in Committing, Causing, and Facilitating the Commission of a Drug Trafficking Felony (Counts 4-9) (superseding). Gutierrez, 46, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on Nov. 26, 2022. In this superseding indictment, she is also charged with distributing 50 grams or more of methamphetamine on Sept. 14, 2022, and on Oct. 4, 2022. She is also charged with coordinating the distribution of methamphetamine using a phone. The Drug Enforcement Administration and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Spencer Willson is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-407

Scotty Wayne Harjo. Second Degree Burglary in Indian Country (Counts 1-25). In the past year, Harjo, 38, of Tulsa, allegedly broke into and entered commercial buildings on 25 different occasions with the intent to steal property or cash. The Bureau of Indian Affairs and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam C. Bailey is prosecuting the case. 23-CR-2

Malcolm Andre Jones. Wire Fraud (Counts 1-6); Aggravated Identity Theft (Counts 7-10). Jones, 30, of Broken Arrow, allegedly devised a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration (SBA) by submitting fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan applications and fraudulent PPP loan forgiveness applications to SBA approved lenders in Lake Mary, Florida, and Bedford, Texas. Jones fraudulently submitted one loan and one forgiveness application in his name. He further fraudulently submitted two loans and two forgiveness applications using another individual’s identity. The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Office of Inspector General and U.S. Department of Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard M. Cella is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-7

Noe Nava-Mata. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Nava-Mata, 34, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on Jan. 20, 2013, at or near Calexico, California. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cheryl L. Baber is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-8

Yovanny Padilla-Aguilar. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Padilla-Aguilar, 39, a Mexican National, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on June 24, 2019, at or near Hidalgo, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cheryl L. Baber is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-9

Desiree Rochelle Wofford. Child Neglect in Indian Country. From Aug. 15, 2022, to Sept. 30, 2022, Wofford, 26, of Tulsa, allegedly failed to get medical care for her child after he was injured. The delay in care resulted in further medical issues. Additionally, law enforcement executed a search warrant of the home and discovered that it was unfit to live in. The FBI and Muscogee Nation Lighthorse Tribal Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam C. Bailey is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-10

Renferio Yanez-Palacios. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Yanez-Palacios, 51, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on Sept. 21, 2002, at or near Laredo, Texas. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert T. Raley is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-11

A Tulsa man has been charged in federal court for leaving a voicemail threatening to “murder people” at the Ernest Childers Outpatient Clinic in Tulsa then showing up to the clinic the same day with a loaded firearm, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. The facility serves veterans and is run by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Zachariah Kade McGuire, 31, was charged by Criminal Complaint with possession of a firearm in a federal facility. McGuire made an initial appearance Thursday in federal court and is scheduled for preliminary and detention hearings on Jan. 5, 2023, at 2 pm.

According to court documents, on Nov. 14, 2022, the defendant’s mother called to schedule an appointment for him at the clinic, which was set for Dec. 13, 2022.

Shortly after, McGuire called back and allegedly left the threatening voicemail message, which was reported to the Veterans Affairs Police.

McGuire stated, in part, “You will make me an appointment and prescribe me my meds, or I will murder you. You have 30 minutes to do so, or I will be coming up there and start to murder people.”  He also referenced a doctor he had a grievance with.

At approximately 12:30 pm the same day, McGuire showed up at the clinic. Soon after, officers made contact with McGuire and asked if he had a weapon. He responded yes, and officers retrieved a.357 magnum revolver from McGuire’s jacket pocket. The firearm was loaded with six rounds of ammunition. Officers also recovered seven plastic zip ties from McGuire.

During a later interview with special agents from the Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, McGuire claimed that he didn’t remember making the call but admitted that he did bring the firearm to the outpatient clinic. He explained that he looked for his primary care provider, but didn’t see him, then was taken into custody by officers.

The Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General, Department of Veterans Affairs Police, Tulsa Police Department, and FBI are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert T. Raley is prosecuting the case. AUSA Raley is the National Security Anti-Terrorism (ATAC) Prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Northern District of Oklahoma.

This matter will proceed in United States District Court in Tulsa, where the Complaint is currently pending. A Complaint is a temporary charge alleging a violation of law. For the case to proceed to trial, the United States must present the charge to a federal Grand Jury within 30 days. Once a Grand Jury returns an Indictment, a defendant has a right to a jury trial at which the United States would have the burden of proving the defendant’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced December’s Grand Jury A and B indictments.

The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.

Federal Grand Jury B, Dec. 19- 23, 2022

Anthony Abel-Flores; Jabier Bustos; Vanessa Garcia-Jimenez; Olivia Carrell. Drug Conspiracy; Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute; Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises. Beginning in November 2022, Abel-Flores, 31; Bustos, 33; Garcia-Jimenez, 19; and Carrell, 27, of Jennings, allegedly took part in a methamphetamine conspiracy. As part of that conspiracy, Abel-Flores, Bustos, and Garcia-Jimenez are charged with possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. Finally, Carrell is charged with maintaining a place in Jennings for the purpose of storing and distributing the methamphetamine. Homeland Security Investigations and the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel-lyn McCormick is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-428

Eli Cooper Cailler. Possession of Child Pornography; Receipt of Child Pornography. Cailler, 24, of Inola, is charged with possessing and receiving child sexual abuse material from April 1, 2020,to July 18, 2022. Homeland Security Investigations and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah Paisner is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-421

Caleb Lee Giles. Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country (Counts 1, 4); Abusive Sexual Contact with a Minor in Indian Country (Counts 2, 5); Coercion and Enticement of a Minor (Counts 3, 6) (superseding). Giles, 23, of Afton, is charged with perpetrating sex crimes against two minor victims from September 2020 to January 2022. The FBI is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nathan E. Michel is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-136

Lane Gloyd. Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography. Gloyd, 23, of Sand Springs, is charged with receiving and distributing numerous images of child sexual abuse material from Jan. 8, 2021, to April 25, 2022. Homeland Security Investigations and the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rubens is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-136

Solon Michael Griffith. Child Abuse in Indian Country. Griffith, 55, of Vinita, is charged with striking and significantly bruising a 6-year-old victim. The FBI is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Niko A. Boulieris is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-416

Jeannie Rene King; Jacob Alejandro Romero. Child Abuse in Indian Country (Count 1); Child Neglect in Indian Country (Counts 2,3). From Sept. 21, 2022, through Oct. 18, 2022, King, 23, of Sapulpa, abused an infant, causing multiple fractures to the child’s legs. King and Romero, 22, of Sapulpa, also failed to ensure proper medical treatment and supervision for the child. The FBI and Sapulpa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Ihler is prosecuting the case.

Lawrence Macon Jr. First Degree Murder in Indian Country (Count 1); Causing Death by Using and Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence (Count 2); Felon in Possession of a Firearm (Count 3); Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition (Count 4); Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country (Counts 5, 7); Carrying, Using, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence (Count 6); Carrying, Using, Brandishing, and Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence (Count 8) (superseding). Macon Jr., 30, of Tulsa, is charged with killing Aliza Renea Crook using a firearm on Nov. 6, 2022. Macon Jr. shot into the vehicle Crook was riding in, striking the victim. He is further charged with being a felon in possession of a Beretta U.S.A. Corporation 9 mm caliber Parabellum semi-automatic pistol and with possessing a Smith & Wesson 9 mm caliber semi-automatic pistol, a H.S. Produkt .45 caliber ACP semi-automatic pistol, a Glock Inc. .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol, and 90 rounds of ammunition. Additionally, on Sept 11, 2022, Macon allegedly followed a second victim and discharged his firearm into a vehicle while the victim was in the car. Finally, he is alleged to have pistol whipped a third person with a firearm on Oct. 2, 2022. The FBI, Tulsa Police Department, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Niko A. Boulieris and Ryan H. Heatherman are prosecuting the case. 22-CR-388

Julio Martinez-Perez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Martinez-Perez, 33, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States on Oct. 18, 2016, at or near Del Rio, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rubens is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-425

Leeroy Wendell McQueary, II. Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country (Counts 1, 2). McQueary allegedly assaulted two St. Francis Hospital security officer when drove his car directly at the two officers, only swerving after they discharged their firearms at the vehicle. The Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Tulsa Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Niko Boulieris is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-417

Enedino Nives-Tomas. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien; Alien Unlawfully in the United States in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. Nives-Tomas, 34, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on Aug. 16, 2017, at or near Laredo, Texas. He is also charged with possessing a Ruger .45 auto semi-automatic pistol and eight rounds of ammunition while being unlawfully in the United States. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rubens is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-423

Antonio Diaz Rodriguez-Razo. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Rodriguez-Razo, 59, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on  Sept. 5, 2014, at or near Del Rio, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Buscemi is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-424

Joaquin Guerroro Rodriguez. Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute; Possession of Heroin with Intent to Distribute; Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises. Rodriquez, 33, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and with possessing with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin on Oct. 21, 2022. The defendant is further charged with maintaining a place in Tulsa for the purpose of distributing methamphetamine and heroin. The Drug Enforcement Administration is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel-lyn McCormick is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-418

Luis Uvence Ulloa. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Ulloa, 31, a Honduran national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on June 30, 2014, at or near San Antonio, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rubens is prosecuting the case. 22-Cr-422

Federal Grand Jury A, Dec. 5-9, 2022

Jose Luis Reyes Alvarez, Lauro Estrada Cruz. Drug Conspiracy (Counts 1, 2); Use of a Communication Facility in Committing, Causing, and Facilitating the Commission of a Drug Trafficking Felony (Counts 3-34); Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute (Count 35); Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime (Count 36); Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises (37); Possession of a Firearm by an Alien Illegally in the United States (Count 38). From July 27, 2022, through Aug. 31, 2022, Alvarez, 30, a Mexican national, and others conspired to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of cocaine. An unindicted coconspirator coordinated the shipments of multi-kilogram quantities of the drug from Mexico to Tulsa for redistribution. A separately charged defendant received bulk quantities of the cocaine and redistributed it. He and the unindicted coconspirator would coordinate the return of the sale proceeds to Mexico. Alvarez also retrieved proceeds from the sale of cocaine from the separately charged defendant and conducted wire transfers to Mexico.

In Count 2, Alvarez; Cruz, 30, of Tulsa; and others conspired to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine from October 2022, to Nov. 15, 2022. The cocaine was shipped from Mexico to Tulsa, and the two men conducted their operations from a home located at 840 North Louisville Avenue in Tulsa. Cruz allegedly prepared the cocaine for distribution at the Tulsa residence, and Alvarez collected drug proceeds using CashApp then stored the proceeds at the residence. Cruz also allegedly possessed an Aero Precision semi-automatic pistol and a Fabrique Nationale Herstal rifle in furtherance of his drug trafficking crime. Alvarez also allegedly possessed a Mossberg rifle and a Kimber .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol while illegally residing in the United States. The Drug Enforcement Administration, Tulsa Police Department, and Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney David Nasar is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-394

Rodrigo Antonio-Torres. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Antonio-Torres, 35, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on May 23, 2007, at or near Brownsville, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Buscemi is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-402

Timothy Lewis Cantrell. Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute; Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. Cantrell, 59, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. He is further charged with being a felon in possession of an Obera Hermanos .38 caliber revolver with an obliterated serial number and 34 rounds of ammunition. Finally, he is charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of his drug trafficking crime. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Elmore is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-403

Lacey Dawn Deckard. Kidnapping in Indian Country. Deckard, 43, of Broken Arrow, allegedly held an elderly woman against her will in the woman’s home on September 19, 2022. The FBI and Broken Arrow Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Elmore is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-404

Ramon Dominguez-Arambula. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Dominguez-Arambula, 67, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after previously being deported on Sept. 17, 1999, at or near Paso Del Norte, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency.  Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rubens is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-40

Andy Cristiany Flores-Rosa. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Flores-Rosa, 22, a Honduran national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States on May 6, 2019, at or near Houston, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rubens is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-406

James Cledtis Gregory Gillis. Coercion and Enticement of a Minor in Indian Country; Abusive Sexual Contact with a Minor in Indian Country; Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country. Gillis, 18, of Sapulpa, is charged with committing sex crimes against a minor between the ages of 12 and 16 from June 22, 2022, to July 8, 2022.  The FBI is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chantelle D. Dial is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-397

Julio Vasquez Gonzalez. Distribution of Fentanyl (Counts 1, 2); Distribution of Methamphetamine (Count 3). Gonzalez, 39, of Bristow, is charged with distributing fentanyl on June 21, 2022, and Aug. 31, 2022. He is further charged with distributing more than 30 grams of methamphetamine on Oct. 27, 2022. The Drug Enforcement Administration is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joel-lyn A. McCormick is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-400

Tara Alvita-Gourd Gutierrez. Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute. Gutierrez, 46, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The Drug Enforcement Administration and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Spencer Willson is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-407

Robert Ross Patton. Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country; Kidnapping in Indian Country; Assault by Striking, Beating, and Wounding (Misdemeanor). On Oct. 31, 2022, Patton, 46, of Claremore, allegedly threatened to kill his dating partner, confronted her with a knife, and stabbed at her, cutting her hand as she tried to defend herself. He also allegedly held the victim against her will. Finally, he is charged with repeatedly striking the victim. The FBI and Rogers County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven J. Briden is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-408

Ramon Edgar Perez-Nunez. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Perez-Nunez, 47, a Mexican national, is charge with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on May 14, 2016, at or near Hidalgo, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert T. Raley is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-409

Douglas Reyes. Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute; Carrying a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime; Interstate Travel to Aid Racketeering. Reyes, 43, a Mexican national, is charged with possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. He is further charged with carrying a firearm during his drug trafficking crime. Finally, he is charged with traveling from Missouri to Oklahoma with the intent to distribute the drug. The Drug Enforcement Administration and Oklahoma Highway Patrol are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Tonkin is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-398

James Isac Snyder. First Degree Burglary in Indian Country; Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in Indian Country. Snyder, 34,of Commerce, is charged with forcibly breaking into a residence with intent to assault a male in the home. He is further charged with assaulting the male victim, resulting in serious bodily injury. The FBI, Ottawa County Sheriff’s Office, and Quapaw Nation Marshals Service are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brandon A. Skates is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-410

Alfonso Solis-Melendez. Transportation of Illegal Aliens. Solis-Melendez, 33, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, is alleged to have knowingly transported and moved 10 individuals within the United States who had entered the country illegally. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement and Removal Operations and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rubens is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-399

Bobby Ray Stevens. Kidnapping in Indian Country (Count 1); Assault of an Intimate/Dating Partner by Strangling, Suffocating, and Attempting to Strangle and Suffocate in Indian Country (Count 2); Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in Indian Country (Count 3); Assault Resulting in Substantial Bodily Injury to an Intimate/Dating Partner in Indian Country (Count 4); Tampering with a Witness, Victim, and Informant by Corrupt Persuasion (Counts 5, 6). From Nov. 11, 2022, to Nov. 13, 2022, Stevens, 33, of Bartlesville, held a dating partner against her will. During that time, he strangled the victim and assaulted her repeatedly, causing serious bodily injury and substantial bodily injury. On Dec. 13, 2022, he also tried to stop the victim from communicating with law enforcement, and later that month he successfully persuaded the victim not to appear at federal grand jury proceedings, to which she had been summoned. The FBI and Washington County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney George Jiang is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-395

Carlos Ventura Grave. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Grave, 36, a Guatemalan national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States on Aug. 12, 2016, at or near Harlingen, Texas. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Buscemi is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-411

Ricky Leroy White. Abusive Sexual Contact with a Minor Under 12 Years of Age in Indian Country (Counts 1,2); Abusive Sexual Contact with a Minor in Indian Country (Count3). White, 32, of Pryor, is charged with abusive sexual contact against a minor from Oct. 9, 2014, to Oct. 8, 2015.  He is also charged with abusive sexual contact against a second child from June 7, 2010, to  June 6, 2017.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah Paisner is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-401

John Dillion Wroblewsi. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; Possession of Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. Wroblewski, 30, of Muskogee, is charged with being a felon in possession of a Glock 9x19mm caliber semi-automatic pistol and 11 rounds of ammunition. He is also charged with possessing with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of fentanyl and with possessing a firearm to further his drug trafficking crime. Homeland Security Investigations and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam C. Baily is prosecuting the case.  22-CR-412

A Claremore man found to be downloading, distributing and viewing child pornography by law enforcement was sentenced in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

Jeremy Aaron Mills, 28, was sentenced to 120 months in prison for possession of child pornography and receipt and distribution of child pornography. Following his prison term, he will spend ten years on supervised release.

As required by the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistant Act of 2018, Mills was further ordered to pay restitution in the total amount of $23,000 to seven identified victims depicted in the child sexual abuse material.

“The producers of child pornography are sexually assaulting and abusing children, and individuals, like Mills, further traumatize and exploit these victims every time they download, view, and share this horrific material,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “It takes dedicated men and women in the law enforcement community to seek out, investigate and bring these criminals to justice. It is difficult but necessary work. I want to thank them for protecting the most vulnerable members of our society.”

“The conclusion of this investigation and subsequent sentence should send a stern message to all child predators. HSI will not relent in catching the predators who produce, distribute and view child sexual abuse materials and hold them accountable for their actions," said Robert Melton, Assistant Special in Charge of the HSI Dallas - Oklahoma and Texas Panhandle Division. "We will use every resource available to ensure those involved in the sexual exploitation of children will not go unpunished while also providing victim services to those abused by these crimes."  

From June 6, 2021, to Oct. 1, 2021, Tulsa Police Cyber Crimes detectives found that an IP address connected to Mills had downloaded multiple files of child sexual abuse material using peer-to-peer software.

On Oct. 1, 2021, the Tulsa Police Cyber Crimes Unit, HSI Tulsa, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office, Claremore Police Department, and Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office executed a federal search warrant at Mill’s Claremore residence.

During the search, investigators located a Samsung cellphone in Mill’s bedroom, which Mills confirmed was his own. On the phone, investigators located numerous images of child sexual abuse material, with at least ten videos depicting toddlers and prepubescent females and males being sexually abused.

Mills was interviewed at the scene and admitted to downloading child pornography as recently as the previous night. Further, he admitted that he conducted searches using terms associated with child pornography. He also stated that he watched hundreds of videos of children between the ages of 14 and 18 and approximately 50 of children younger than 14 years old engaging in sexually explicit conduct.

In his plea agreement, Mills again admitted to possessing and viewing the child sexual abuse material and to receiving and distributing the visual depictions using internet file sharing programs, which caused the depictions to travel in interstate and foreign commerce.

Homeland Security Investigations and the Tulsa Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office, Claremore Police Department, and Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Leah Paisner prosecuted the case.

The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood. In 2006, the Department of Justice created Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identity and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov/.

A former chief financial officer and vice president of finance for a company with offices in Oklahoma made an initial appearance in federal court Wednesday for failing to pay over to the IRS $3.6 million in income and FICA tax withholdings and for embezzling more than $130,000 from the company.

Paul B. Bowker, 60, a British national faces seven counts of failure to account for and pay over withholding and FICA (Social Security) taxes and 100 counts of bank fraud. Bowker waived his right to a detention hearing and was remanded into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial.

Bowker was a permanent resident alien of the United States at the time of the crimes. In 2019, after he was interviewed by federal agents and made aware of the criminal investigation, he fled to the United Kingdom.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office eventually received a tip that led to Bowker’s arrest, and the Justice Department's Office of International Affairs worked with officials from the United Kingdom to ensure Bowker's extradition to the United States for prosecution. 

As part of the scheme, Bowker was the chief financial officer and vice president of finance at a company that maintained offices in the Northern District of Oklahoma. In his role at the company, Bowker was responsible for withholding income taxes and FICA taxes from employees’ paychecks and for paying the monies over to the IRS. The Indictment alleges that from April 2014 through January 2016, Bowker withheld the funds but failed to pay over to the IRS more than $3.6 million worth of income and FICA taxes.

In addition, Bowker is charged with bank fraud. As chief financial officer, Bowker was entrusted with a company credit card and was responsible for paying the monthly credit card bill by authorizing the electronic transfer of funds from the company’s checking account at Mabrey Bank, in Bixby, to the company’s Visa account. From January 2014 through December 2015, Bowker is alleged to have fraudulently used the Visa credit card to make $130,000 worth of purchases for his own benefit then paying for those charges with funds from the company’s checking account at Mabrey Bank.

IRS/Criminal Investigation and the FBI are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Charles M. McLoughlin and Richard M. Cella are prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

Former prisoner transport officer, Dewayne Dudley, 56, pleaded guilty in federal court in the Northern District of Oklahoma to violating a male detainee’s civil rights by sexually assaulting and kidnapping him.

“Sexual assaults carried out by law enforcement officials at any stage of the criminal justice process, including in the transport of detainees held in custody, have no place in our society,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The Justice Department will continue to investigate and prosecute law enforcement officials who abuse their power and authority.”

“Dewayne Dudley is a predator who used his authority and position to control and violate the victim. He abandoned his ethical responsibilities and has been held accountable,” said U.S. Attorney Clinton J. Johnson for the Northern District of Oklahoma. “The Justice Department and U.S. Attorney’s Offices across the nation are committed to upholding the Constitutional rights of all citizens. Civil rights abuses will be fully investigated, and perpetrators will be brought to justice.”

"Dewayne Dudley exploited his position of authority when he cruelly assaulted a detainee he was charged to protect,” said Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Gray for the FBI Oklahoma City Field Office. “Today’s guilty plea demonstrates the FBI’s commitment to preserving trust in law enforcement. We will not tolerate public officials who violate the constitutional rights of our citizens."

According to the plea agreement, at the time of the offense, Dudley worked as a prisoner transport officer for Blue Raven Services. As a private prisoner transport officer, Dudley performed the government function of picking up individuals who were arrested on out-of-state warrants and transporting those individuals back to the jurisdictions that issued the warrants. On August 26, 2021, Dudley picked up the victim, a male detainee, from a jail in Boonville, Indiana, to transport him to Valencia, New Mexico.

On August 27, 2021, before arriving in New Mexico, Dudley stopped the transport van at a Holiday Inn Express, located in Marshfield, Missouri, where he rented a room. Dudley brought the handcuffed victim into the hotel room and told him to shower. After the victim showered, Dudley pointed a gun at the victim and told him to undress. Dudley then proceeded to grope the victim’s genitals. When the victim’s penis did not erect, Dudley handcuffed himself to the victim, before going to sleep. Several hours later, Dudley resumed transporting the victim, before stopping the transport van at his (Dudley’s) apartment, located in Claremore, Oklahoma. Against the victim’s protests, Dudley brought the handcuffed victim inside his apartment. While inside his apartment, Dudley again groped the victim’s genitals, causing the victim bodily injury. The victim said, “No!,” and was able to break free and run outside of Dudley’s apartment. 

A sentencing hearing has not been scheduled yet. Pursuant to the plea agreement, Dudley faces 12 to 15 years in federal prison, to be followed by up to five years of supervised release. In addition, Dudley must pay restitution to the victim.

The case was investigated by the Oklahoma City FBI Field Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Clay Compton of the Northern District of Oklahoma and Trial Attorney Laura Gilson of the Civil Rights Division’s Criminal Section prosecuted the case.

A former Sapulpa police officer pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court for lying to law enforcement about a theft he committed while on-duty, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. 

Dennis James Hall, 40, pleaded guilty to making false statements, which is a felony. The plea agreement calls for Hall to serve five years of probation. Further, the defendant will no longer be permitted to serve as a law enforcement officer.

On Oct. 6, 2021, while on-duty as a police officer, Hall was called to a scene where a deceased woman was found in a hotel room. During the on-scene investigation, Hall entered the woman’s hotel room on his own then stole $345 in cash. When the Sapulpa Police Department first learned that a theft may have been committed, they contacted the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation (OSBI) for assistance. Hall was then interviewed by law enforcement and lied about committing the theft despite being confronted with evidence in the case. In his plea agreement, Hall admitted that he lied and made false statements to investigators during the Nov. 15, 2021, interview.

The Sapulpa Police Department, FBI, and OSBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Niko A. Boulieris is prosecuting the case.

A Jay man was sentenced Tuesday in federal court for shooting and killing his mother and wounding a second family member.

“Christopher Weeley fatally shot his mother and seriously wounded a second family member at a home in Jay in 2021. My thoughts are with the family and the second victim as she continues her long-term recovery,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “Weeley will serve 24 years in prison for the harm he has caused to his family. My office remains steadfast in its commitment to seek justice for victims affected by violence.”

“The outcome of this case is a direct result of the excellent partnership we have with the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Gray. “Today’s sentence ensures Christopher Weeley will be brought to justice for his horrific crime and hopefully begins the healing process for his grieving family.”

U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Christopher Leo Weeley, 42, to 24 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release.

During sentencing, Weeley, a long time drug user, apologized to his family although they were not in attendance. He told the court that he heard drugs did horrible things to families but didn’t think it would ever happen within his own family. He called the crimes a nightmare he couldn’t take back.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Roberts shared with the court that the surviving victim continues to receive treatment for her injuries. He further relayed that she could not bring herself to come to the hearing because she felt it would harm her emotionally at this time.

Weeley, at a previous hearing, pleaded guilty to second degree murder in Indian Country and assault with intent to commit murder in Indian Country.

Weeley admitted that on March 6, 2021, he killed his mother, Annie Marie Weeley, by shooting her with a firearm. He also admitted to shooting a second family member two times during the incident.

On March 6, 2021, a Delaware County Sheriff’s deputy was dispatched to a home in Jay. While en route, he received a radio call advising him there was a report of shots fired at the home with two possible victims. When he arrived at 11:17 pm, he found Mrs. Weeley wounded and unresponsive on the floor and a second family member on the couch with gunshot wounds to her stomach and lower back.

The two victims were transported to the hospital, where the mother was pronounced dead. The second victim underwent emergency surgery.

The FBI and Delaware County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan M. Roberts is prosecuting the case.

If you or someone you know is experiencing or has experienced family violence, you are not alone, and there are services available to help. The following agencies provide phone lines to victims in northeastern Oklahoma: 

- Cherokee Nation One Fire, located in Tahlequah:24 hour line 918-772-4260.

-Muscogee Nation Family Violence Prevention Program, located in Okmulgee and other satellite offices: 24-hour line 918- 732-7979

-The Delaware Tribe of Indians Family and Children, located in Bartlesville: 24-Hour line: 918-331-7349

All three of the above agencies assist Indian and non-Indian victims.

-Domestic Violence Intervention Services (DVIS) located in Tulsa: 24-hour line 918.7HELP.ME (918.743.5763).

-Tulsa’s Family Safety Center also provides assistance and resources to domestic violence victims Monday-Friday from 8 am to 5 pm: (918) 742-7480. (this is NOT a 24 hour number).

-The National Domestic Violence Hotline can be reached at 800-799-7233 or text “start” to 88788.

United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the November 2022 Federal Grand Jury B.

The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.

Jacob Thomas Arkeketa. Arson in Indian Country. On Oct. 3, 2022, Arkeketa, 41, of Tulsa, set fire to a home with the resident inside, thus placing her at serious risk of injury. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Tulsa Fire Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rubens is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-391

Curt Thomas Been. Felon in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition; Possession of an Unregistered Weapon Made from a Shotgun. Been, 52, of Collinsville, is charged with being a felon in possession of a weapon made from an Essex Gun Works 12-gauge caliber shotgun, a Winchester .22 caliber rifle, and 483 rounds of ammunition. He is further charged with being in possession of a weapon made from an Essex Gun Works 12-gauge shotgun having a barrel of less than 18 inches in length and not registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam C. Bailey is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-385

Jared Nathan Black. Assault with Intent to Commit Murder in Indian Country; Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country; Carrying, Using, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence. Black, 46, of Jenks, is alleged to have assaulted his stepson when he pointed a firearm at the victim’s head and pulled the trigger on Dec. 26, 2020. The gun did not go off, giving the victim and another individual an opportunity to run to the garage and call 911. The FBI and Jenks Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin G. Bish and Ben Tonkin are prosecuting the case. 22-CR-390

Hatcher Raymond Day. Possession of Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute; Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. Day, 26, of Phoenix, Arizona, is charged with possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of fentanyl on Sept. 19, 2022. He is further charged with possessing firearms to further his drug trafficking crime. Finally, he is charged with being a felon in possession of an American Tactical Imports multi-caliber pistol; a Great Lakes Firearms and Ammunition multi-caliber pistol; a Ruger American .45 auto caliber pistol; a Glock .357 caliber pistol; a Canik 9X19 caliber pistol, and 70 rounds of ammunition. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth Elmore and Nathan E. Michel are prosecuting the case. 22-CR-389

Daniel Christopher Edwards. Possession of an Unregistered Destructive Device; Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country; Assault Resulting in Serious Bodily Injury in Indian Country; Arson in Indian Country; Conveying False and Misleading Information Concerning an Explosive Device; Possession of an Unregistered Destructive Device During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence (superseding). Edwards, 48, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing a destructive device on Oct. 5, 2022, that had not been registered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record. The incendiary bomb, also called a Molotov cocktail, consisted of a glass jar filled with an ignitable liquid, having a wick constructed of a cloth like material. He is further alleged to have assaulted a Holy Family Cathedral employee when he slashed him with a sword multiple times, causing serious bodily injury. He then allegedly committed arson when he threw the incendiary bomb at the church. Finally, he is charged with conveying misleading information concerning an explosive device at a Tulsa Reasor’s grocery store. Edwards allegedly told several individuals that if he was approached, he would push a button that “would be worse than a bomb.” Finally, he was also charged in this superseding indictment with possessing a unregistered destructive device in furtherance of a crime of violence. See the initial Complaint press release here. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Tulsa Police Department, and FBI are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robert T. Raley, Nathan E. Michel, and Christopher J. Nassar are prosecuting the case. 22-CR-362.

David Gutierrez-Valezquez. Alien in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. Gutierrez-Valezquez, 28, a Mexican national, is charged with being in the United States unlawfully and possessing a Ruger 9 mm caliber semi-automatic handgun and six rounds of ammunition. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Tulsa Police Department, and Osage Nation Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney William Rubens is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-386

Rahmon Lawrence Macon Jr. Second Degree Murder in Indian Country. Macon Jr., 30, of Tulsa, is charged with killing Aliza Renea Crook using a firearm on Nov. 6, 2022. Macon Jr. shot into the vehicle Crook was riding in, striking the victim. The FBI, Tulsa Police Department, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Niko A. Boulieris and Ryan H. Heatherman are prosecuting the case. 22-CR-388

Justin Wade Malone; Devon Marie Larocca. Second Degree Murder in Indian Country; Causing Death by Using and Discharging a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence; Voluntary Manslaughter in Indian Country; Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises; Evidence Tampering; Accessory After the Fact to Second Degree Murder in Indian Country (superseding). On July 8, 2022, Malone, 38, and Larocca, 36, both of Tulsa, are alleged to have aided and abetted one another to kill Cristian Amaya Hernandez, using a firearm. Malone and the victim were arguing when Malone allegedly shot him. Malone and Larocca are also charged with using a Tulsa residence for the purpose of distributing and using methamphetamine and fentanyl. They are further charged with aiding and abetting each other to remove firearms and surveillance cameras from the crime scene and to erase surveillance footage of the alleged murder to hinder an investigation. Finally, Larocca is charged with assisting Malone in order to hinder and prevent Malone’s apprehension, trial, and possible punishment. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nathan E. Michel and Ryan H. Heatherman are prosecuting the case. 22-CR-235

Rodney Joe Smith. Stalking; Evidence Tampering. The indictment alleges that between Sept. 1, 2022, to Sept 18, 2022, Smith, 45, of Poteau, stalked the victim with the intent to kill, injure, harass and intimidate her. Smith allegedly installed a GPS tracker inside the victim’s rear bumper without her knowledge and would track and confront her. The defendant threw rocks at her vehicle, cracked her windshield, followed her and falsely reported her for reckless driving. He is alleged to have further harassed her via phone. He left harassing messages and sometimes used an app to disguise the phone number, making it appear as if his calls were coming from the Tulsa Police Department. In addition, he created fake Facebook accounts that purported to be the victim and publicly shared her home and work addresses. He also created a fake profile on a dating app purporting to be the victim, and the victim began receiving phone calls, texts, and unsolicited images from men who claimed to have met her online. The indictment further alleges the defendant pulled down the outside cameras that were part of the victim’s home security system. The defendant’s laptop also revealed he had conducted a google search on how to enter a home undetected. According to the indictment, law enforcement further located a trail camera, GPS tracker, the victim’s work identification card, night vision goggles, binoculars, a brown wig, a laptop which had a google search for the security radio frequency where the victim worked and a search for how to disable a particular vehicle, a cell phone, notepads with the victim’s personal information, Viagra pills, and a ghillie suit, which is a type of camouflage clothing. Then, while detained, Smith allegedly directed another individual take his cell phone to Verizon and, in a phone call, requested an employee remotely wipe the contents of his electronic devices and delete his iCloud account in an attempt to destroy evidence. The FBI, Muscogee Nation Lighthorse Police Department and Glenpool Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven J. Briden is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-387

Steven Ray Thompson. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; Possession of Heroin with Intent to Distribute; Carrying a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime. Thompson, 24, of Rose, is charged with being a felon in possession of Kimber 9 mm caliber semi-automatic pistol and six rounds of ammunition. He is further charged with possessing with intent to distribute heroin. Finally, he is charged with carrying a firearm during and in relation to his drug trafficking crime. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Delaware County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shakema M. Onias is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-384

TULSA, Okla. – Another defendant has pleaded guilty to using physical force against two individuals to stop them from communicating with law enforcement about the kidnapping and murder of a Joplin, Missouri, woman, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson of the Northern District of Oklahoma.

Lane Ryan Bronson, 29, pleaded guilty to tampering with a witness, victim, and informant by using and threatening physical force. If a federal judge approves the stipulated sentence, Bronson will serve 19 years in federal prison. The judge will make the final determination at a sentencing hearing to be held at a later date.

Bronson admitted that on Aug. 13, 2020, he directed Chloe Stith, 22, to lure the two victims to her car where she restrained them and blindfolded them with duct tape. Stith and Bronson then drove the victims to a secluded location. They uncovered the victims’ eyes, and Bronson told one victim that he heard she had been talking about Jolene Walker Campbell’s disappearance. Bronson then assaulted the male victim while he was still restrained and defenseless.

Bronson’s brother Tre Ackerson, 28, is alleged to have kidnapped Walker Campbell in Joplin, traveled into Oklahoma, and murdered the woman between July 4 and July 5, 2020. Ackerson and Breanna Sloan, 23, then allegedly left her body in a rural Mayes County, Oklahoma, field. Sloan drove the vehicle and initially lured the victim by offering her a ride. On Nov. 17, 2022, Sloan pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting Ackerson to kidnap the victim, ultimately leading to her murder. Ackerson is set for trial in January and is innocent until proven guilty.

Bronson and Ackerson’s mother Kimberly Grissom, 48, and Jacob Scribner, 35, are also awaiting further proceedings in federal court. They are charged with conspiracy to retaliate against a witness, victim, and informant.

In total, seven defendants have now pleaded guilty to various charges from kidnapping to witness tampering.

The defendants are from the Joplin, Missouri, area.

The FBI led the investigation with the support of the Muscogee Nation Lighthorse Police Department, Mayes County Sheriff’s Office, and Joplin Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin G. Bish and George Jiang are prosecuting the case.

A woman who drove while under the influence of methamphetamine and caused a collision that killed another driver was sentenced today in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Courtney Gail Lawson, 43, of Haskell, to 37 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. During the sentencing hearing, the victim’s husband and friends spoke of their tremendous loss and about what Chelsea meant to each of them and her family. Her husband called her a light in the lives of those who knew and loved her.

On April 1, 2022, Lawson pleaded guilty to the charge in the indictment, involuntary manslaughter in Indian Country. In her plea agreement, Lawson admitted that on Dec. 2, 2020, she had a detectable amount of methamphetamine in her system, drove over 100 miles per hour, and tried to pass in a no passing zone. At that time, she struck an oncoming vehicle, killing the driver Chelsea Pugh.

Judge Frizzell ordered Lawson to self report to the U.S. Bureau of Prisons in December.

The Oklahoma Highway Patrol, FBI, and Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael F. Harder prosecuted the case.

A man who struck and killed another man with a water meter key was found guilty at trial late Thursday, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

A federal jury convicted Kyle Edwin Freeman, 36, of first degree murder in Indian Country. The crime occurred at victim Donald Thomas’ Tulsa residence on the 4500 block of East Admiral Boulevard on July 30, 2020.

Freeman, his girlfriend and others spent the day consuming alcohol then drove to Thomas’ residence that night. During the car ride, Freeman and his girlfriend argued and eventually became involved in a physical altercation.

Freeman had been staying with the victim in the days leading up to the murder. Once they arrived at the home, Freeman’s girlfriend walked to a back room. When Freeman attempted to follow and continue the altercation, the victim attempted to calm him down then eventually pushed him onto a couch. Witnesses present in the living room testified that Freeman appeared to calm down. The two men, who were cousins, hugged, and the victim ensured Freeman had something to eat.

While Freeman was in another room, the two witnesses focused on repairing a speaker, and Thomas sat on the couch. Approximately 20 minutes later, one witness heard Freeman strike the victim, and the other felt the resulting blood splatter. When the two men looked toward the victim, they saw Freeman violently strike the victim in the head with a water meter key a second time, and they screamed for him to stop. Witnesses called 911. Freeman and his girlfriend were chased from the home and drove away. Emergency responders pronounced the victim dead at the scene.

At trial, Freeman’s girlfriend testified that while she was driving away, Freeman began hitting her, blamed her for what happened, and said he wasn’t going to let the victim disrespect him. He also threw their cell phones out the vehicle’s window. The couple then drove to a friend’s house. The friend testified that Freeman told her that he would not be disrespected so he “bashed” in the victim’s head. He further told his girlfriend to say they left the victim’s home to take a friend to work and that the victim had a gun.

Creek County Sheriff’s deputies later located the couple and their friend and took them to the Tulsa Police Department for questioning.

Tulsa Police and Muscogee Nation Lighthorse detectives interviewed the defendant. Freeman claimed that the victim had been upset with him and argued with him in the bedroom. He further claimed that the victim punched him then pulled out a black 9mm handgun. He explained that in an effort to defend himself, he swung an object at the victim’s head, hitting him once or twice. He then left the home to avoid a further confrontation.

When detectives processed the scene, they recovered the water meter key used in the crime in the living room. The key is a metal rod used to access water meters and adjust water flow. They further observed the victim lying on the couch, deceased. The blood splatter evidence in the room indicated that Thomas was seated on the couch when he was struck. There was no evidence that a physical altercation occurred in the bedroom, and no firearms were found.

In closing at trial, Assistant U.S. Attorney John Brasher emphasized to the jury that while Freeman drank alcohol that day, Freeman, by law, was culpable for the crime. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Elmore further stated that the individual who caused chaos the night of the crime was the defendant, Kyle Freeman. He reminded the jury that the only thing the victim did that night was try to calm Freeman down and then make him a sandwich afterward, and because Freeman somehow felt “disrespected,” he drove the handle of a water key through the skull of the victim, killing him. 

Because the incident occurred within the boundaries of the Muscogee Nation reservation and both the victim and defendant were tribal citizens, the case was prosecuted in federal court in the Northern District of Oklahoma. Thomas was a citizen of the Muscogee Nation, and Freeman is a citizen of the Seminole Tribe of Florida.

The FBI, Tulsa Police Department, Muscogee Nation Lighthorse Police Department, and the Creek County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kenneth Elmore and John E. Brasher are prosecuting the case.

A man was sentenced in federal court for going to a female acquaintance’s home after she cashed a $2,900 check and robbing her at gunpoint, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

U.S. District Judge Daniel D. Crabtree sentenced William Rhea Wadlow Jr., 23, of Locust Grove, to 120 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Wadlow was further ordered to pay $2,680 in restitution. He previously pleaded guilty to carrying, using, brandishing, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

On April 14, 2021, he and two others saw a woman he was acquainted with cash the check at a Locust Grove convenience store. About 20 minutes later, the three went to the woman’s house. Wadlow asked to use her restroom, and they entered the home. At one point, Wadlow asked the victim if she wanted to purchase his .38 caliber revolver. When she declined, Wadlow told the victim he was homeless and hungry. The victim offered him $200. Then as the group was about to exit the home, Wadlow turned with a gun and fired toward the victim. The bullet struck the floor. Wadlow then demanded the woman give him all her money. The victim handed him her wallet. He also grabbed her purse from her hand. As the three fled from the home, Wadlow warned her not to follow him or he would shoot her.

Law enforcement later located Wadlow at a gas station in Rose, Oklahoma. Wadlow barricaded himself in the restroom but after several hours, surrendered to law enforcement. He had $671.25 on him at the time of his arrest.

The FBI, Mayes County Sheriff’s Office, Cherokee Nation Marshal Service, and Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney George Jiang prosecuted the case.

A Catoosa woman who defrauded banks and credit unions through a complex scheme involving falsified loan applications and lien releases was sentenced Friday in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

U.S. District Judge John F. Heil III sentenced Pamela Kathryn Conley, 60, to 54 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. She was further ordered to pay $451,065.64 in restitution.

In September 2021, Conley pleaded guilty to 24 counts of bank fraud and four counts of aggravated identity theft.  At the time of her plea, a jury had been selected, and federal prosecutors were set to proceed with their case at trial.

As part of her scheme, Conley falsified and submitted documents to apply for approximately $1 million in loans, securing more than $800,000 in loan proceeds, which gave Conley access to cash, boats, and cars to support her lifestyle. Conley submitted forged earning statements suggesting that she held high level positions at various companies and earned approximately $200,000 annually. Conley’s claims were all provably false.

Sometimes lying on applications was the full extent of Conley’s fraud. On other occasions, when loans were secured with collateral, Conley forged fictitious lien releases for bank collateral using the notarized signature of bank or credit union employees. Conley then caused the bogus lien releases to be filed with the Oklahoma Tax Commission. This allowed Conley to obtain clear title to the collateral without paying off her loans. This aspect of the scheme gave rise to the aggravated identity theft counts alleged in the indictment.

IRS-Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Secret Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Richard M. Cella, Melody N. Nelson, and David D. Whipple prosecuted the case.

A Joplin, Missouri, woman pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to kidnapping a woman whose body was later found in rural Mayes County, Oklahoma, in 2020, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

Breanna Lynn Sloan, 23, admitted that from July 4, 2020, to July 5, 2020, she aided and abetted codefendant Tre Robert Allen Ackerson, 28, of Joplin, to kidnap Osage Nation citizen Jolene Walker Campbell and that Walker Campbell died as a result of the kidnapping.

In her plea agreement, Sloan admitted that she was driving in Joplin, Missouri, when Ackerson pointed to a woman walking and stated that he had robbed her earlier in the evening. Sloan later learned the woman was Jolene Walker Campbell. The two then drove past the victim, and Ackerson exited the vehicle and hid in the woods so the victim couldn’t see him. Sloan then waited for the victim and offered to give her a ride when she reached the vehicle. After the victim got into the front passenger seat, Ackerson emerged from the woods, climbed into the rear seat, told Sloan to drive, and attempted to rob the victim a second time.

Sloan stated in the plea agreement that Walker Campbell had nothing to steal, but Ackerson didn’t want to leave empty handed. The victim, being held against her will, suggested getting money from someone else she knew in Oklahoma City instead. Sloan then drove into Oklahoma and decided to travel toward Inola to visit a friend and purchase marijuana. Instead, Ackerson allegedly directed her to a remote field in Mayes County, Oklahoma. He then told Sloan to stop, put on a pair of gloves, forced the victim out of the car and into a field, and killed her. Afterward, the two returned to Joplin, leaving the victim in the field.

Ackerson, 28, was charged in the indictment with first degree murder in Indian Country, kidnapping resulting in death, kidnapping resulting in death in Indian Country, and various witness tampering charges. He is scheduled for trial in January 2023. Also awaiting further court proceedings are Kimberly Grissom, 48, and Jacob Scribner, 35, each charged with conspiracy to retaliate against a witness, victim, and informant, and defendant Lane Ryan Bronson, 29, charged with conspiracy to retaliate against a witness, victim, and informant and with two counts of tampering with a witness, victim, and informant by using and threatening physical force. The four defendants are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

In addition to Sloan, five other codefendants have pleaded guilty.

Morgan Lee Bowman, 27, and Chloe Louise Stith, 22, each pleaded guilty to tampering with a witness, victim, and informant by using and threatening physical force. Sara Michelle Humbard, 26, and David William Morris, 34, each pleaded guilty to tampering with a witness, victim, and informant by using the threat of physical force. Megan Louise Detherage, 29, pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony.

The defendants in the case are from the Joplin, Missouri, area.

The FBI led the investigation with the support of the Muscogee Nation Lighthorse Police Department, Mayes County Sheriff’s Office, and Joplin Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin G. Bish and George Jiang are prosecuting the case.

TULSA, Okla. – A Tulsa man who strangled his pregnant girlfriend multiple times and threatened her with a firearm was found guilty Wednesday by a federal jury, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

Dakota Wayne Campus, 28, was convicted of assault of an intimate/dating partner by strangling and attempting to strangle in Indian Country; assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm in Indian Country; carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence; and felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition.

On February 4, 2022, at approximately 10 am, Tulsa Police were dispatched to a home to investigate a possible domestic violence disturbance as reported in two 911 calls. One caller reported that she heard a woman yell “get the gun out of my face,” a person being hit, and someone being dragged in the apartment. A second caller reported that he heard a woman scream “stop” in an apartment above him and then someone being thrown around. He reported that the woman upstairs was pregnant.

When arriving at the apartment, Tulsa Police officers made contact with a woman in the apartment. Officers immediately observed injuries on the victim who said her fiancé, Dakota Campus, assaulted her and jumped out of the apartment window when police arrived. She said she had been in a relationship with Campus and was 18 weeks pregnant with his child.

The woman stated that Campus took her cell phone and strangled her twice on Feb. 3, 2022, and on Feb. 4, 2022, she tried to speak to Campus about the pregnancy when he became angry and threw her cell phone out the window. The victim said she attempted to go to her neighbors for help, but Campus chased her into the apartment complex’s hallway brandishing a silver handgun and drug her back into the apartment. He then threw the victim to the ground, broke her eyeglasses, strangled her, pushed her head into the ground, pointed a gun at her face and threatened to shoot her and the police. Campus eventually allowed the victim to get up but continued to strike her. When police knocked on the door, Campus warned her not to tell the police about him and jumped out the apartment window.

She further told officers she was afraid of Campus and was worried he would kill her. She reported that she tried to get away from him previously, but he always found her and threatened her with violence if she filed charges.

Officers noted bleeding lacerations on the victim’s lips, red swelling on both cheeks, and red marks consistent with strangulation wrapping around her neck.  A paramedic with EMSA who treated the victim testified at trial that the victim told him about the violence that had occurred on Feb. 3 and 4 and also complained of head and neck pain. He personally observed bruising around the victim’s left eye and both cheeks, a laceration on her upper lip and multiple marks and abrasions on her face and neck.

The victim was transported to St. John’s Broken Arrow where she was treated by an emergency department doctor who testified that the victim told the doctor her fiancé “choked” her with his hands, struck her in the face multiple times, and tried to smother her. She told the doctor that he put all his weight on her lower abdomen and that she was pregnant. She also complained about head and neck pain.

In addition to receiving treatment for her physical injuries, the woman was further treated for psychological trauma and provided assistance with safety planning.

On Feb. 11, 2022, Tulsa Police officers apprehended Campus after he attempted to evade arrest by running into a drainage ditch and under a bridge where he discarded the firearm. The gun matched the description provided by the victim.

Campus, a felon, is prohibited from possessing a firearm. His previous state felony convictions include robbery with a firearm in 2015. He was sentenced to 20 years in state prison but was released March 9, 2021, with time served and 14 years suspended. The Court cited the COVID-19 epidemic as a reason for his early release. The Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office has since filed a petition to revoke his suspended sentence.

Studies have found that domestic violence strangulation is a significant predictor of future attempted and completed murders, increasing the odds of death by more than seven times. While signs of strangulation are not always visible, strangulation can result in long-term psychological and physical injuries to victims, including depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, traumatic brain injury, strokes and more. Timely intervention is critical to minimize the short and long term negative effects of strangulation.

To find resources for domestic violence victims, contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-SAFE (7233) or visit their website at thehotline.org. In an emergency, call 911.

The FBI and Tulsa Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stacey P. Todd and George Jiang prosecuted the case.

A federal jury convicted a Bristow man Wednesday for murdering a former girlfriend’s new dating partner in 2018, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

Justin Dale Little, 29, was found guilty of first degree murder in Indian Country.  

On April 22, 2018, at noon, victim Jonathon Weatherford was found deceased on the train tracks in Jenks, Oklahoma, with a single gunshot wound to his back. A passerby called 911, and the Jenks Police Department responded to the scene.

During the investigation, officers interviewed Weatherford’s girlfriend and asked if she knew of anyone who would want to harm the victim. She responded that Little was only individual she believed was “crazy enough” and had “enough motive” to commit the murder. The woman reported that she and Little dated in high school and had a child together, and after the relationship ended, Little would often harass the woman and her dating partners. She recalled that Little had appeared at a boyfriend’s house at 4 am after tracking her phone, cut break lines, distributed suggestive photographs of the woman, poured water into her vehicle’s gas tank, and admitted at one point that he had contemplated shooting the woman and a boyfriend.

In the weeks prior to the crime, the woman said she had agreed to marry Little, only so their child could receive National Guard benefits. Little was the service member. The woman told Little that she planned to continue dating Weatherford  and that he would be in her life for a long time. She then told Little that if anything ever happened to Weatherford, she would suspect Little.

Officers also located surveillance video that placed the defendant at the crime scene in Jenks. The video revealed that Little watched the victim leave the girlfriend’s apartment around 11:40 am the day of the crime and walk toward his family’s home. Little’s pickup truck could be seen driving around the train tracks, following the victim for several minutes, then parking nearby. Footage further showed a man, identified as Weatherford, walking along the train tracks followed by a figure dressed in dark clothes. The victim and the figure eventually walked out of the view of the cameras. Shortly after, the figure ran back into the camera’s view and away from the scene of the crime. Footage then showed Little’s truck pull away from its parking spot near the crime scene and drive off.

Investigators pulled cell phone data, call logs, and PikePass records that helped confirm that it was Little seen in the surveillance video.

They further recovered a .300 Winchester Magnum Caliber Remington rifle with a scope and bipod from Little’s residence. Little purchased the rifle approximately a month before the murder. The medical examiner’s report revealed that Weatherford died from a gunshot wound to the back. The bullet had traveled through Weatherford’s backpack, a leather card holder full of several pages of playing cards and into the victim. The bullet broke multiple ribs before coming to rest just below his front chest. The rifle and bullet were sent to the FBI crime lab in Quantico, Virginia, for ballistics comparison. A firearms expert determined the bullet was a .30 caliber round fired from a barrel rifled with six grooves with a right twist, which was consistent with the high powered rifle recovered from Little’s residence. Due to the damage to the bullet, the firearms expert was unable to determine if the bullet definitively came from Little’s rifle.

Previously, a Tulsa County jury also found Little guilty of the first degree murder of the victim, but his conviction was vacated following the Supreme Court’s ruling in McGirt v Oklahoma. The case was then prosecuted in federal court.

The FBI, Jenks Police Department, and Bristow Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas E. Buscemi and Victor A.S. Regal are prosecuting the case.

United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced the results of the November 2022 Federal Grand Jury A.

The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in indictments returned by the Grand Jury. The return of an indictment is a method of informing a defendant of alleged violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.

Luis Antonia Barajas-Morales. Unlawful Reentry of a Removed Alien. Barajas-Morales, 44, a Mexican national, is charged with unlawfully reentering the United States after having been removed on July 17, 2007, at or near San Luis, Arizona. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations is the investigative agency. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Buscemi is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-376

Jared Nathan Black. Assault with Intent to Commit Murder in Indian Country; Carrying, Using, and Brandishing a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence; Assault with a Dangerous Weapon with Intent to do Bodily Harm in Indian Country. Black, 46, of Jenks, is charged with pointing a firearm at the victim’s head and pulling the trigger with intent to commit murder after the victim intervened in a domestic assault on Dec. 26, 2020. The gun malfunctioned and did not fire. Black is further charged with discharging the firearm during a crime of violence. In this superseding indictment, Black is also charged with assaulting the victim with a dangerous weapon with the intent to do bodily harm. The FBI and Jenks Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Justin G. Bish is prosecuting the case. 21-CR-9

Nathaniel Dale Burns; Ashley Elizabeth Burns. Drug Conspiracy; Manufacture of Methamphetamine; Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute; Possession of Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute; Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute; Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises; Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime; Felon in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition. Nathaniel Burns, 36, and Ashley Burns, 28, both of Tulsa, are charged with conspiring to distribute and possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine, 40 grams or more of fentanyl, and cocaine. The two are also charged with aiding and abetting each other on Oct. 21, 2022, to manufacture 500 grams or more of methamphetamine. They are further charged with aiding and abetting each other to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and to possess with intent to distribute 40 grams or more of  fentanyl. They are also charged with aiding and abetting each other to manufacture and possess with intent to distribute cocaine. The two are charged with aiding and abetting each other to knowingly use and maintain a residence for the purpose of storing, manufacturing, and distributing the drugs. They are charged with possessing firearms in furtherance of their drug trafficking crimes, and finally, Daniel Burns is charged with being a felon in possession of a Glock .45 caliber lever-action rifle; an FN 9 mm semiautomatic pistol; a Smith & Wesson .45 caliber semiautomatic pistol; a Sig Sauer 9 mm semiautomatic pistol; a PWS .223 caliber rifle; a CZ 9 mm semiautomatic pistol; a Radikal, 12 gauge semiautomatic shotgun; an Anderson Manufacturing multi-caliber rifle; a DPMS .223/5.56 caliber rifle; a Glock 9X19 semiautomatic pistol; a Marlin, .270 Win rifle; a Canick 9X19 mm semiautomatic pistol; a Taurus 9 mm semiautomatic pistol; and a Sig Sauer 9 mm semiautomatic pistol. The FBI and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosive are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ben Tonkin is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-378

Brian Keith Doty.  Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country; Abusive Sexual Contact with a Minor in Indian Country; Incest in Indian Country. Doty, 30, of Dewey, is charged with engaging in and attempting to engage in sexual acts with a child between 12 and 16 years of age from Nov. 1, 2014, to Aug. 29, 2016. He is further charged with sexual contact against the same minor. Finally, he is charged with incest. The FBI and Bartlesville Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kenneth Elmore is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-374

Jacob William Fairchild. Sexual Abuse of a Minor in Indian Country(Counts 1-3); Coercion and Enticement of a Minor in Indian Country (Counts 4-5); Sexual Abuse of an Incapable Victim in Indian Country (Count 6); Aggravated Sexual Abuse by Force in Indian Country (Count 7) (superseding). Fairchild, 33, of Claremore, is charged with sexually abusing three children between 12 and 16 years of age. He is further charged with coercing and enticing two of the victims to engage in sexual activity. He is also charged with sexually abusing one of the victims who was incapable of providing consent at the time and with sexually abusing the same victim using force. The FBI, Rogers County Sheriff’s Office and Mayes County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gina S. Gilmore is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-192

Christopher Scott Royce. Felon in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition; Drug Conspiracy; Maintaining a Drug-Involved Premises; Possession of Child Pornography (2nd superseding). Royce, 43, of Broken Arrow, is charged with being a felon in possession of a Marlin, 30/30 caliber lever-action rifle; a Mauser bolt-action rifle; an Iver Johnson .22 caliber bolt-action rifle; a Ruger .22 caliber revolver; a Ruger .380 caliber semi-automatic pistol; a Taurus .22 caliber pistol and 22 rounds of ammunition. Royce was previously convicted of six felonies, including three crimes of violence. He is further charged aiding and abetting another individual with using and maintaining a place in Broken Arrow for the purpose of distributing an illicit drug. Finally, he is charged with possessing child sexual abuse material. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and Broken Arrow Police Department are the investigative agencies. Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Nasar is prosecuting the case. 22-CR-163

A defendant who killed another man just outside a Walmart store in Tulsa pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

Terry Danell Limose, 37, pleaded guilty to second degree murder in Indian Country.

Limose admitted in his plea agreement that he killed victim Jessie Childers by strangulation around 4 am on Nov. 13, 2021. He stated that he strangled the victim for several minutes before the victim died.

Tulsa Police officers were called to the scene after receiving reports that a deceased man was found just outside of the store. Several witnesses reported seeing a man, later identified as Limose, in the parking lot during the time of the crime. One witness even observed the two men fighting. Officers later located Limose hiding in a grassy creek area behind the store with apparent minor injuries.

During the investigation, officers located surveillance video from a nearby business that showed Limose following the victim prior to the murder and throwing rocks and chunks of pavement at him, hitting him multiple times. The victim attempted to scare Limose away with a metal rod and piece of wood he was carrying.

The defendant followed the victim, who had picked up one of the chunks of rock, to the Walmart parking lot. Walmart surveillance video showed the victim throw the rock toward the store’s door and attempt to get help by banging on the window, to no avail. Limose appeared to have trapped the victim by the front door. After approximately six minutes, Limose began fighting the victim and eventually threw the victim to the ground. Limose was on top of the victim for approximately seven minutes before he got off of him. During that time, he strangled the victim, killing him. He then started to walk away when he encountered two other men. They checked on the victim. The other two men left the scene, and Limose attempted to perform CPR on the victim.

The victim was a citizen of the Muscogee Nation, and the crime occurred within the Muscogee Nation reservation.

The FBI and Tulsa Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron M. Jolly prosecuted the case.

A Bixby man was sentenced Wednesday in federal court for robbing two Oklahoma banks of nearly $320,000, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

“Jerry Brown’s string of criminal acts included two bank robberies and attempting to escape prosecution by staging his own disappearance to look like a kidnapping,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “This bank robber has been held accountable and will spend 51 months in federal prison.”

"The FBI would like to thank the Skiatook Police Department, Owasso Police Department, and the United States Attorney’s Office for their hard work in this investigation,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Gray. “We are gratified Brown is being brought to justice for his crimes, and can no longer target Oklahoma’s financial institutions or intimidate innocent citizens.”

U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Jerry Ray Brown, 44, to 51 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. The sentence was within the federal guideline range for the crimes. Judge Frizzell also ordered Brown to pay just over $260,000 in restitution, representing the stolen bank funds that had not yet been recovered.

During the hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Roberts argued for a sentence within the guideline range while the defense argued for a sentence below the guideline range, requesting Brown serve just over 12 months in federal prison. The defense pointed to Brown’s life of service prior to the bank robberies and the extreme financial and personal struggles he had been dealing with at the time of the crimes. Brown then apologized to the victims. He stated that as a former firefighter, he had been a life saver but ultimately became a life destroyer when he committed the robberies.

In a statement to the Court, one victim said that the anxiety she experienced had been crippling and had taken her mentally away from her children. She agreed with Brown and said that he had been a life destroyer—that his actions not only affected the victim but also her family. She said that she had suffered hardships following the robberies, but unlike Brown, she had not committed any criminal acts.

Brown previously entered guilty pleas to all of the original bank robbery counts in the charged indictment, and he did so without a plea agreement from the United States. Brown lived in Skiatook at the time of the robberies and later in Bixby while criminal proceedings were pending.

Brown executed bank robberies at Oklahoma Capital Bank in Skiatook on March 12, 2020, and Exchange Bank in Sperry on May 7, 2020. In both robberies, Brown demanded bank employees take him to their vaults and open their ATMs.

Bank tellers and surveillance video at both locations described or showed the suspect as being around 6 feet tall and weighing between 200 and 250 pounds. The suspect wore a black mask, distinctive black and gray gloves with a yellow logo; carried a black backpack; and drove a silver SUV. One of the tellers at the Skiatook bank suggested the robber’s mannerisms and build reminded her of Jerry Brown, who banked there.

Through their investigation, law enforcement was able to link Brown to the robberies and arrested him. They believed Brown’s likely motive for the robberies was to alleviate the numerous professional and personal financial problems he had been experiencing.

He was charged in federal court on Oct. 27, 2020, and later released while awaiting further criminal proceedings in the case.

On Oct. 25, 2021, authorities initially received a report that Brown was potentially kidnapped from his residence in Bixby in the early morning hours. Later that morning, Nowata police officers initiated a traffic stop on a vehicle registered to Brown. Instead of stopping, Brown eluded officers and disappeared. Just after 8 am, Brown was arrested by the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office in Kansas for the alleged theft of gasoline, evading authorities, and other charges. Brown was later returned to federal custody.

The FBI, Skiatook Police Department, and Owasso Police Department conducted the investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan M. Roberts prosecuted the case.

 A Tulsa man who shot and killed a 13-year-old during an argument at Parkview Terrace apartments in Tulsa pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

Christian James Harrison, 20, of Tulsa, pleaded guilty to second degree murder in Indian Country.

“Christian Harrison took the life of a 13-year-old boy. Today, he has been held accountable for this terrible crime. My thoughts are with the child’s family and friends,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “Our children are meant to outlive us, not be struck down in senseless acts of violence. Law enforcement officials will continue to pursue justice for victims of violent crime to make our neighborhoods safer for all children.”

On Dec. 22, 2021, an argument occurred between Harrison, who was 19 years old at the time, and the victim’s older brother. The brother had been visiting his girlfriend at Harrison’s apartment. Shortly after, the young man returned with his 13-year-old brother—the victim, and another child to continue the argument. They found Harrison outside near the apartment mailboxes. During the argument, Harrison pulled out a firearm. The older brother asked Harrison if he was going to use the gun rather than fight. Harrison answered “yes” and shot at the group approximately seven times. Three bullets struck the victim. Harrison fled from the crime scene.

At approximately 6 pm, the Tulsa Police Department responded to shots fired at the apartment complex. Officers found the victim with multiple gunshot wounds. He was later pronounced dead at a Tulsa hospital.

Several witnesses identified Harrison as the shooter. On Dec. 28, 2021, the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service and FBI located and arrested Harrison outside a vacant trailer in Locust Grove.

The FBI, Tulsa Police Department, and Cherokee Nation Marshal Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven J. Briden is prosecuting the case.

A federal jury convicted a California drug kingpin Monday of directing a continuing criminal enterprise by organizing and directing at least three separate methamphetamine conspiracies in Oklahoma and Missouri, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

Luis Alfredo Jacobo, 31, of Bakersfield, California, was found guilty of continuing criminal enterprise; three counts of drug conspiracy and 21 counts of unlawful use of a communication facility. Kelly Wayne Bryan, 55, who went to trial with Jacobo and was alleged to be involved in one of the methamphetamine conspiracies, was found not guilty of drug conspiracy.

“Luis Jacobo sent more than 2,000 pounds of methamphetamine into the Northern District of Oklahoma and Missouri for distribution and claimed to have netted $30 million as a part of his continuing criminal enterprise,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “As a result of their dogged investigative work, federal prosecutors and our law enforcement partners shut down this illicit enterprise, and Jacobo and numerous cohorts have been brought to justice.”

“This conviction is a message to drug traffickers who feed those struggling with addiction and line the pockets of criminal organizations,” said Eduardo A. Chávez, Special Agent in Charge of the Dallas Field Division, who oversees operations in Oklahoma. “Your days spent peddling drugs and spending dirty money will lead to nights spent in jail staring at the ceiling while you are held responsible for your actions.  DEA Tulsa is committed to keeping methamphetamine off our Oklahoma streets.”

Using his Mexican sources of supply and Bakersfield as a base of operations, Jacobo managed, supervised, and organized more than a dozen individuals in California, Northeast Oklahoma, and Southwest Missouri in an enterprise that spanned over five years and involved at least three drug conspiracies operating in and around the Northern District of Oklahoma.

Through countless communications between the conspirators, Jacobo set prices, determined methods of delivery and payment, and approved any suggestions made about the groups’ operations.

According to the indictment, from May 2016 to September 2021, Jacobo received bulk shipments of methamphetamine to his home base in Bakersfield. From there, Jacobo directed that the methamphetamine be sent via U.S. mail or driven in vehicles to the groups in Oklahoma and Missouri, sometimes in quantities of up to 200 pounds at a time. Coconspirators would drive large amounts of cash back to California, send money through money remitters, or mail cash payments back to Jacobo and to others at Jacobo’s direction. The coconspirators sometimes mailed as much as $100,000 cash at a time from Oklahoma to California.

The three conspiracies were run by Jacobo’s regional managers in northeastern Oklahoma. The managers employed, with Jacobo’s knowledge, distributors and subdistributors to help sell Jacobo’s drugs. Jacobo even met and gave direction to many of the distributors and subdistributors.

From May 2016 to December 2018, one drug conspiracy operated in Bakersfield and later in and around Grove, Oklahoma. A second drug conspiracy also worked out of Grove from September 2018 to August 2019. Finally, a third drug conspiracy operated from September 2018 to March 2021 in and around Grove and southwestern Missouri.

During trial, federal prosecutors presented evidence that included numerous communications and countless money exchanges related to the conspiracies as well as evidence collected when law enforcement executed search warrants.

For example, on Oct. 12, 2020, agents and officers with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs and Grove Police Department opened a storage unit in Grove  and discovered 231 pounds of methamphetamine and more than $465,000 in U.S. currency. The storage unit was rented for defendant Johnson to store methamphetamine for redistribution. That same weekend in 2020, law enforcement also executed search warrants on houses in Grove where codefendants stored drugs and drug proceeds.

Three days after the 231 pounds of methamphetamine was located, officers arrested codefendant Tony Garcia driving in Oklahoma City with 30 pounds of methamphetamine and a loaded 9 mm handgun. Text messages in Garcia’s phone show that he received instructions from Jacobo just prior to the trip about where and when to distribute the methamphetamine to Johnson and others in Oklahoma. 

In its closing argument, the government highlighted the sheer number of Jacobo’s coconspirators who testified against Jacobo and repeated many of the same details about how Jacobo’s extensive drug business operated, including that Jacobo directed members of his organization to send cars packed full of methamphetamine to Northeast Oklahoma and cars packed full of money back to him in Bakersfield.

Jacobo’s conviction resulted from the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force Operation “Pullin Chains,” led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs, and transnational criminal organizations that threaten the United States by using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach that leverages the strengths of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies against criminal networks.

The Drug Enforcement Administration, Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, Bureau of Indian Affairs, City of Miami Police Department, Grove Police Department, Quapaw Tribal Marshals Service, Bakersfield Police Department, Kern County Sheriff’s Office, the United States Postal Inspection Service, and the Oklahoma District 13 Drug and Violent Crime Task Force conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas E. Duncombe, Nathan E. Michel, and Melody N. Nelson prosecuted the case.

A Sand Springs man was sentenced Friday in federal court for robbing and assaulting a gas station owner, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

U.S. District Judge Gregory K. Frizzell sentenced Camaran Blake Breazeale, 30, to a total of 15 years in federal prison. He received 96 months for robbery in Indian Country and 84 months for carrying, using, and brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. Judge Frizzell further ordered the defendant to pay restitution in the amount of $100,000.

“Camaran Breazeale’s vicious attack resulted in life-altering injuries to the elderly victim in this case,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “As evidenced by this prosecution and 15-year federal prison sentence, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners in the Northern District of Oklahoma will not tolerate those who commit acts of violence in our communities.”

On July 13, 2021, the Sand Springs Police Department responded to a male, later identified as Breazeale, loitering at a gas station, A&S Fuels. An officer arrived and notified Breazeale to leave the property’s premises. Approximately twenty minutes later, the defendant returned to the gas station and said to the owner, “This is my store. Give me everything now.” According to court documents, video footage showed Breazeale striking the defendant with his fist multiple times and knocking him down. Then, he grabbed a shotgun and used the butt of the firearm to strike the victim repeatedly in the head saying, “Stop don’t move, or I will shoot you.” Breazeale then took cash from the register and exited the station.

The Sand Springs Police Department located Breazeale near the gas station after a customer reported that a man was on the floor covered in blood. The officer then rendered aid to the victim who was unconscious in the store with multiple injuries. The victim was transported by ambulance to an area hospital.

The victim has endured the loss of an eye, disfigurement, multiple major surgeries and other hardships. Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Buscemi stated in court documents that one had to view the surveillance video that captured the crime to understand the horrific degree of the attack.

Breazeale is a Cherokee Nation citizen, and the crime occurred within the Muscogee Nation Reservation.

The FBI and Sand Springs Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas E. Buscemi and Victor A.S. Régal prosecuted the case.

Federal, state, and local law enforcement partners from across the United States executed a nationwide, coordinated takedown today of leaders and associates of a national network of thieves, dealers, and processors for their roles in conspiracies involving stolen catalytic converters sold to a metal refinery for tens of millions of dollars.

Arrests, searches, and seizures took place in California, Oklahoma, Wyoming, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, and Virginia. In total, 21 individuals in five states have been arrested and/or charged for their roles in the conspiracy.

The 21 defendants are charged in two separate indictments that were unsealed today in the Eastern District of California and the Northern District of Oklahoma following extensive law enforcement arrest and search operations. In addition to the indictments, over 32 search warrants were executed, and law enforcement seized millions of dollars in assets, including homes, bank accounts, cash, and luxury vehicles.

“Amidst a rise in catalytic converter thefts across the country, the Justice Department has today carried out an operation arresting 21 defendants and executing 32 search warrants in a nation-wide takedown of a multimillion-dollar catalytic converter theft network,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. “We will continue to work alongside our state and local partners to disrupt criminal conspiracies like this one that target the American people.”

“This national network of criminals hurt victims across the country,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray. “They made hundreds of millions of dollars in the process—on the backs of thousands of innocent car owners. Today’s charges showcase how the FBI and its partners act together to stop crimes that hurt all too many Americans.”

“With California’s higher emission standards, our community has become a hot bed for catalytic converter theft,” said U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert for the Eastern District of California. “Last year approximately 1,600 catalytic converters were reportedly stolen in California each month, and California accounts for 37% of all catalytic converter theft claims nationwide. I am proud to announce that we have indicted nine people who are at the core of catalytic theft in our community and nationwide.”

“In Tulsa alone, more than 2,000 catalytic converters were stolen in the past year,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson for the Northern District of Oklahoma. “Organized criminal activity, including the large-scale theft of catalytic converters, is costly to victims and too often places citizens and law enforcement in danger. The collective work conducted by federal prosecutors and more than 10 different law enforcement agencies led to the filing of charges in the Northern District of Oklahoma against 13 defendants operating an alleged catalytic converter theft operation.”

“The success of this national takedown highlights the importance and necessity of dynamic law enforcement partnerships that we foster at DHS every single day," said Deputy Secretary John K. Tien of the Department of Homeland Security. “This calculated, cooperative whole-of-government approach across multiple states illustrates our commitment to protecting the homeland from those who seek to profit from sophisticated schemes. Homeland Security Investigations [HSI] will continue to focus its efforts on keeping these types of criminal elements off our streets while dismantling the groups behind these and other thefts.”

“Just like the precious metal inside every catalytic converter, there’s a money trail at the core of every criminal scheme,” said Chief Jim Lee of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI). “Our IRS-CI special agents and partners are incredibly well-versed at unraveling financial trails, and this case is not unique. There are real victims here – friends, neighbors, and businesses – and our hope is that today’s arrests will deter similar criminal activity.” 

Catalytic Converters

Catalytic converters are a component of an automotive vehicle's exhaust device that reduce the toxic gas and pollutants from a vehicle's internal combustion engine into safe emissions. Catalytic converters use precious metals in their center, or “core”, and are regularly targeted for theft due to the high value of these metals, especially the precious metals palladium, platinum, and rhodium. Some of these precious metals are more valuable per ounce than gold and their value has been increasing in recent years. The black-market price for catalytic converters can be above $1,000 each, depending on the type of vehicle and what state it is from. They can be stolen in less than a minute. Additionally, catalytic converters often lack unique serial numbers, VIN information, or other distinctive identification features, making them difficult to trace to their lawful owner. Thus, the theft of catalytic converters has become increasingly popular because of their value, relative ease to steal, and their lack of identifying markings.

Eastern District of California Case

A federal grand jury in the Eastern District of California returned a 40‑count indictment charging nine defendants with conspiracy to transport stolen catalytic converters, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and other related charges.

According to court documents, brothers Tou Sue Vang, 31, and Andrew Vang, 27, and Monica Moua, all of Sacramento, California, allegedly operated an unlicensed business from their personal residence in Sacramento where they bought stolen catalytic converters from local thieves and shipped them to DG Auto Parts LLC (DG Auto) in New Jersey for processing. The Vang family allegedly sold over $38 million in stolen catalytic converters to DG Auto.

Defendants Navin Khanna, aka Lovin Khanna, 39; Tinu Khanna, aka Gagan Khanna, 35; Daniel Dolan, 44; Chi Mo, aka David Mo, 37; Wright Louis Mosley, 50; and Ishu Lakra, 24, all of New Jersey, operated DG Auto in multiple locations in New Jersey. They knowingly purchased stolen catalytic converters and, through a “de-canning” process, extracted the precious metal powders from the catalytic core. DG Auto sold the precious metal powders it processed from California and elsewhere to a metal refinery for over $545 million.

Northern District of Oklahoma Case

A federal grand jury in the Northern District of Oklahoma returned a 40‑count indictment charging 13 defendants with conspiracy to receive stolen catalytic converters, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and other related charges.

According to court documents, together the defendants bought stolen catalytic converters from thieves on the street, then re-sold and shipped them to DG Auto in New Jersey for processing. Over the course of the conspiracy, defendant Tyler James Curtis received over $13 million in wired funds from DG Auto for the shipment of catalytic converters and received over $500,000 from Capital Cores for catalytic converters. Defendant Adam G. Sharkey received over $45 million in wired funds from DG Auto. And defendant Martynas Macerauskas received over $6 million in payments from DG Auto for catalytic converters. In all these incidents, most of the catalytic converters sold to DG Auto were stolen, and DG Auto knew or should have known that when they paid for them. 

The 13 defendants are Navin Khanna, 39, of Holmdel, New Jersey; Adam Sharkey, 26, of West Islip, New York; Robert Gary Sharkey, 57, of Babylon, New York; Tyler James Curtis, 26, of Wagoner, Oklahoma; Benjamin Robert Mansour, 24, of Bixby, Oklahoma; Reiss Nicole Biby, 24, of Wagoner, Oklahoma; Martynas Macerauskas, 28, of Leila Lake, Texas; Kristina McKay Macerauskas, 21, of Leila Lake, Texas; Parker Star Weavel, 25, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma; Shane Allen Minnick, 26, of Haskell, Oklahoma; Ryan David LaRue 29, of Broken Bow, Oklahoma; Brian Pate Thomas, 25, of Choteau, Oklahoma; and Michael Anthony Rhoden, 26, of Keifer, Oklahoma.

Operation Heavy Metal was led by Homeland Security Investigations and IRS-Criminal Investigation. Oklahoma agencies that also contributed to the lengthy investigation included the Tulsa Police Department, Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office, Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, Oklahoma Highway Patrol and the Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office. (see a complete list of participating agencies at the bottom of the press release. Also see attachments for NDOK indictment and Regional law enforcement leadership quotes from HSI-Dallas, IRS-Criminal Investigation-Dallas, Tulsa Police Department, Tulsa County Sheriff's Office, and the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office)

Trial Attorney Danbee C. Kim of the Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section, Assistant U.S. Attorney Veronica M.A. Alegría for the Eastern District of California, and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Reagan Reininger and David Nasar for the Northern District of Oklahoma are prosecuting the cases.

The FBI Sacramento, IRS-CI Sacramento, HSI Tulsa, and IRS-CI Tulsa are investigating the cases.

FBI Las Vegas (NV), FBI Richmond (VA), FBI Charlotte (NC), FBI Newark (NJ), FBI Dallas (TX), HSI Dallas (TX), HSI Houston (TX), HSI Amarillo (TX), HSI St. Paul (MN), HSI Long Island (NY), HSI Newark (NJ), IRS-CI Chicago Field Office (IL), IRS-CI Oakland Field Office (CA), IRS-CI Dallas Field Office (TX), IRS-CI Newark Field Office (NJ), Tulsa Police Department (OK), Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office (OK), Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OK), Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office (OK), Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office (OK), Houston Police Department (TX), Amarillo Police Department (TX), Broken Arrow Police Department (OK), Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department (CA), Sacramento Police Department (CA), Davis Police Department (CA), Auburn Police Department (CA), Livermore Police Department (CA), San Bernardino County Sherriff’s Department (CA), Customs and Border Protection (NJ), Port Authority Police Department of New York and New Jersey (NY; NJ), Hudson County Sheriff’s Office (NJ), Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office (NJ), Monmouth County Sheriff’s Office (NJ), Morris Township Police Department (NJ), Springfield Police Department (NJ), New Jersey State Police (NJ), Union County Prosecutor’s Office (NJ), Port Authority of NY & NJ (NY; NJ), Howell Police Department (NJ), Warren Township Police Department (NJ), Freehold Borough Police Department (NJ), Middletown Police Department (NJ), Marlboro Police Department (NJ), Manalapan Police Department (NJ), Ocean County Sheriff’s Office (NJ), Burlington Police Department (NJ), Willingboro Police Department (NJ), Waterfront Commission of NY Harbor (NY), Nassau County Police Department (NY), Suffolk County Police Department (NY), Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (NV), Greensville County Sheriff’s Office (VA), Emporia Police Department (VA), Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office (VA), Halifax County Sheriff’s Office (NC), Saint Paul Police Department (MN), Minnesota Commerce Fraud Bureau (MN), Blaine Police Department (MN), McLeod County Sheriff’s Office (MN), Anoka County Sheriff’s Office (MN), Carver County Sheriff’s Office (MN), Roseville Police Department (MN), Plymouth Police Department (MN), Bloomington Police Department (MN), Eagan Police Department (MN), Woodbury Police Department (MN), Brown County Sheriff’s Office (MN), Brooklyn Park Police Department (MN), Fridley Police Department (MN), Mendota Heights Police Department (MN), Chaska Police Department (MN), and Coon Rapids Police Department (MN) provided assistance.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

United States Attorney Clint Johnson today announced that Assistant U.S. Attorney (AUSA) Charles M. McLoughlin will lead the efforts of his Office in connection with the Justice Department’s nationwide Election Day Program for the upcoming November 8, 2022, general election.

AUSA McLoughlin has been appointed to serve as the District Election Officer (DEO) for the Northern District of Oklahoma, and in that capacity is responsible for overseeing the District’s handling of election day complaints of voting rights concerns, threats of violence to election officials or staff, and election fraud, in consultation with Justice Department Headquarters in Washington.

“The Department of Justice is dedicated to protecting the integrity of the election process,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “Eligible voters must be able to cast their vote free from interference or discrimination. Likewise, election officials and staff must be able to serve without being subject to unlawful threats of violence.”

The Department of Justice has an important role in deterring and combatting discrimination and intimidation at the polls, threats of violence directed at election officials and poll workers, and election fraud. The Department will address these violations wherever they occur. The Department’s longstanding Election Day Program furthers these goals and also seeks to ensure public confidence in the electoral process by providing local points of contact within the Department for the public to report possible federal election law violations.

Federal law protects against such crimes as threatening violence against election officials or staff, intimidating or bribing voters, buying and selling votes, impersonating voters, altering vote tallies, stuffing ballot boxes, and marking ballots for voters against their wishes or without their input.  It also contains special protections for the rights of voters, and provides that they can vote free from interference, including intimidation, and other acts designed to prevent or discourage people from voting or voting for the candidate of their choice.  The Voting Rights Act protects the right of voters to mark their own ballot or to be assisted by a person of their choice, where voters need assistance because of disability or inability to read or write in English.  

“Ensuring free and fair elections depends in large part on the cooperation of the American electorate. Those who may have specific information about discrimination or election fraud can make that information available immediately to my Office, the FBI, or the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division,” Johnson said.

In order to respond to complaints of voting rights concerns and election fraud during the upcoming election, and to ensure that such complaints are directed to the appropriate authorities, AUSA/DEO McLoughlin will be on duty in this District while the polls are open.  He can be reached by the public at the following telephone numbers: 918-382-2713.

In addition, the FBI will have special agents available in each field office and resident agency throughout the country to receive allegations of election fraud and other election abuses on election day. The FBI Oklahoma City Field Office can be reached by the public at (405) 290-7770.

Complaints about possible violations of the federal voting rights laws can be made directly to the Civil Rights Division in Washington, DC by phone at 800-253-3931 or by complaint form at https://civilrights.justice.gov/ .

Please note, however, in the case of a crime of violence or intimidation, please call 911 immediately and before contacting federal authorities.  State and local police have primary jurisdiction over polling places, and almost always have faster reaction capacity in an emergency.

A Claremore man who abused a 5-month-old infant at a home in Vinita was sentenced Friday in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

Chief U.S. District Judge John F. Heil III sentenced Keldon Keith Summers, 28, to 12 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release.

“My office will vigorously prosecute criminals who cause harm to the most innocent in our communities- our children,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “Keldon Summers’ violent abuse of an infant left the child with permanent injuries and the need for continued care. This child abuser will spend 12 years in federal prison to account for his despicable crime.”

“I am extremely proud of the collaborative effort that brought Keldon Summers to justice for his detestable crime,” said FBI Oklahoma City Special Agent in Charge Edward J. Gray. “Today’s sentence ensures there is one less abuser victimizing the most innocent and vulnerable members of our communities.”

Summers previously pleaded guilty to child abuse in Indian Country. In his plea agreement, Summers admitted that in the early morning hours of Nov. 8, 2020, he was taking care of a 5-month-old while the infant’s mother was at work and during that time, he abused the infant. The child suffered bruising on his cheek down to his chin that resembled a bite mark, and bruising on his arm, his buttocks, and on his back and chest. He further suffered a swollen penis and left testicle, a fracture of his upper tibia, and extensive retinal hemorrhaging.

Additionally, the child tested positive for methamphetamine. The child had multiple seizures after being life flighted to the hospital that day. He remained in the hospital for three weeks and today requires medication, therapy, and continued care as a result of his injuries.

The FBI and Vinita Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Stacey P. Todd and Vani Singhal prosecuted the case.

A Tulsa man who committed a shooting outside of a Tulsa nightclub in August 2021 was sentenced Thursday in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

U.S. District Judge Frank P. Geraci Jr. sentenced Jaden Perez, 22, to 10 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. This sentence will run consecutive to an active State of Oklahoma sentence.

“A fundamental mission of the U.S. Attorney’s Office is to work in partnership with local, tribal, state, and federal law enforcement to deliver justice for victims harmed by violent crime,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson “Jaden Perez showed a blatant disregard for the safety of others when he fired his gun in the direction of a crowd, and as a result, will serve 10 years in federal prison. ”

Jaden Perez previously pleaded guilty to carrying, using, brandishing, and discharging a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence.

Perez admitted to firing a handgun at a security guard and injuring him on Aug. 21, 2021, at a nightclub in southeast Tulsa.

In his plea agreement, Perez admitted that he got into a fight with a security guard as the nightclub was closing. After the fight ended, he returned to his friend’s car to retrieve two firearms, a Kimber .45 caliber pistol and a Taurus 9mm caliber pistol. Perez then ran across the parking lot firing multiple times at security guards and other bystanders, ultimately hitting one security guard who returned fire and struck Perez multiple times.

During the shooting, the security guard felt a pain in his chest when he was struck. Upon examination, EMSA found that he suffered bruising to his chest from an apparent strike by a bullet fragment.

Perez fled the scene immediately afterwards. Tulsa police officers responding to the shooting conducted a traffic stop on a vehicle driven by Perez’s friend shortly after the incident and found Perez in the back seat bleeding from gunshot wounds. Perez was transported by ambulance to St. Francis Hospital for treatment.

Perez is a citizen of the Muscogee Nation, and the crime occurred on the Muscogee Nation Reservation..

The Tulsa Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney George Jiang prosecuted the case.

A man who drove a vehicle while his codefendant leaned out the window and shot and killed a man was sentenced Thursday in federal court, announced U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson.

Chief U.S. District Judge John F. Heil III sentenced Jacob Bruce Banks, 22, to 10 years in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. Banks previously pleaded guilty to accessory after the fact to first degree murder in Indian Country.

“Oklahomans should not have to fear being gunned down in their own communities,” said U.S. Attorney Clint Johnson. “My office will bring to justice those individuals who commit violent acts in northeastern Oklahoma as well as those who help cover up their crimes. Together with our law enforcement partners, we will work to curb violent crime and make our neighborhoods safer for all citizens.”

Banks admitted that on April 12, 2021, he was driving a car with codefendant Devon Blevins in the passenger seat when Blevins leaned out the car’s window with a pistol, sat on the door frame, aimed his pistol and shot a man riding a bicycle. Banks said he saw the victim, Maurice Burgess, fall to the ground when one of the rounds struck and killed him.

Banks then drove Blevins away from the murder scene and back to his residence He later helped dispose of the murder weapon to hinder the investigation into the murder. At Blevins’ trial, prosecutors argued that Blevins motive for killing the bicyclist was simply to impress members of the Savage Boys street gang in an effort to gain membership.

On Sept. 22, 2021, a federal jury found Blevins, 29, of Tulsa, guilty of first-degree murder in Indian Country and causing death by using and discharging a firearm during the commission of first degree murder. Blevins was sentenced to life in federal prison on Oct. 20, 2022. See the press release here.

The Tulsa Police Department and FBI conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ryan H. Heatherman and Michael F. Harder prosecuted the case.