Federal Grand Jury Indictments Announced

TULSA, Okla.—United States Attorney Trent Shores announced today the results of the September 2018 Federal Grand Jury.

The following individuals have been charged with violations of United States law in an indictment 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.

Julian Christian Alexander and Hannah Jane Shepherd. Drug Conspiracy; Possession with Intent to Distribute Heroin. Alexander, 26, and Shepherd, 27, both of Broken Arrow, are charged with conspiracy to distribute and possessing with intent to distribute 100 grams or more of heroin. If convicted, they face a minimum penalty of 5 years in prison and a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison and a $5,000,000 fine for each charge. The Broken Arrow Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are the investigative agencies.

Christopher Lee Andersen. Possession of Methamphetamine With Intent to Distribute; Carrying a Firearm During and in Relation to a Drug Trafficking Crime. Anderson, 36, of Vinita, is charged with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine and carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime.  If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 40 years in prison and a $5,000,000 fine for the possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute charge, and a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine for the carrying a firearm during and in relation to a drug trafficking crime charge.  The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Miami Police Department are the investigative agencies.

Adam Gallardo Arredondo. Illegal Remuneration for Health Care Referrals; False Statements Relating to Health Care Matters. Arredondo, 56, of Waxahachie, Texas, is charged with soliciting and receiving checks in exchange for referring compounding prescriptions paid for by federal programs. Compounding prescriptions are the result of combining or altering ingredients to create a medication tailored to the needs of an individual patient, and are not FDA approved. He is also charged with giving false statements in connection with a health care scheme. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $100,000 fine for the illegal remuneration for health care referrals charge, and a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the false statements relating to health care matters charge. The United States Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, the Department of Labor-Office of Inspector General, the Internal Revenue Service, the United States Postal Service-Office of Inspector General, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are the investigative agencies.

Richard C. Cole. Possession of an Unregistered Destructive Device. Cole, 35, formerly of Afton, is charged with possession of an unregistered destructive device. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $10,000. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, the Delaware County Sheriff’s Office, and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol are the investigative agencies.

Aaron John Culkins. Possession of Heroin With Intent to Distribute; Felon in Possession of Ammunition. Culkins, 42, of Tulsa, is charged with possession with intent to distribute heroin and with being a felon in possession of ammunition, which exceeded 300 rounds of varying ammunition.  If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $1,000,000 fine for the possession of heroin with intent to distribute charge, and a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and $250,000 fine for the felon in possession of ammunition charge. The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol are the investigative agencies.

Juan Herrera. Reentry of Removed Alien. Herrerra, 42, is charged with having returned to the United States unlawfully after being deported on February 3, 2015 from El Paso, Texas. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement is the investigative agency.

Zachary Wayne Newberry. Sexual Exploitation of a Child. Newberry, 24, of Claremore, is charged with inducing a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The Tulsa Police Department is the investigative agency.

Christopher Douglas Parrish.  Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition. Parrish is charged with being a felon possession of a Lorcin, Model L380, .380 caliber pistol and .380 caliber ammunition. If convicted, he faces the maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol are the investigative agencies.

Ramiro Ramirez-Onate. Reentry of Removed Alien. Ramirez-Onate, 35, of Owasso, is charged with having returned to the United States unlawfully after being deported on January 15, 2016, from Hidalgo, Texas. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement is the investigative agency.

Johnny Slaughter. Felon in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition. Slaughter, 46, of Granite, is charged with being a felon in possession of a Taurus, Model PT 24/7 Pro, .46 ACP caliber pistol and .45 auto caliber ammunition. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is the investigative agency.

Christopher Virgil Sumrall. Failure to Register as a Sex Offender. Sumrall, 47, of Tulsa, is charged with failure to register as a sex offender. If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The U.S. Marshals Service and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies.

Mikki Lashea Vanhorn. Theft in Excess of $1,000 Within Indian Country. Vanhorn, 27, of Tulsa, is charged with stealing more than $1,000 from a Cherokee-owned business, where she was an employee. If convicted, she faces the maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The Cherokee Nation Marshal Service is the investigative agency.

Treveon Montrell Vaughn. Obstruct, Delay, and Affect Commerce by Robbery; Carry, Use, and Brandish a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence. Vaughn, 27, of Tulsa, is charged with robbery impacting interstate commerce, and with brandishing a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. If convicted, Vaughn faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for the charge of obstruction, delay, and affecting commerce by robbery.  He also faces a maximum penalty of life in prison and a fine of $250,000 for each carry, use, and brandish a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence charge. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies.

Misty Dawn Weathers and Sarah Jane Garland. Sex Trafficking of a Child; Sexual Exploitation of a Child; Possession of Certain Material Involving the Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. Weathers, 36, and Garland, 24, both currently in the custody of the Department of Corrections, are charged with recruiting minors, between the ages of 14 and 18, for the purpose of engaging in prostitution, and with sexual exploitation of a minor for the purpose of producing visual depictions. Weathers is further charged with possessing with intent to view the visual depictions which involved a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct. If convicted, they could face a maximum penalty of life in prison and a $250,000 fine for the sex trafficking of a child charge, and a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the charge of sexual exploitation of a child. The Tulsa Police Department is the investigative agency.

Randall G. Whalen. Attempted Arson; Interstate Transportation in Aid of Racketeering Enterprise.  Whalen, 47, of Glenpool, was charged with setting fire to the Employees Federal Credit Union located at 1120 W 17^th Street in Tulsa, Oklahoma.  He is also charged with using his cell phone to assist in facilitating arson, namely to research the area around the bank before setting the fire. If convicted, he will face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for the arson charge, and a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for the interstate transportation in aid of racketeering enterprise charge. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is the investigative agency.