Federal Grand Jury indictments announced, prosecutor honored

TULSA, OKLAHOMA— The results of the August 2014 Federal Grand Jury were announced today by Danny C. Williams Sr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma.

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

Max Robert Ernst. Bank Fraud and Possession of Stolen Mail. Ernst, 28, of Tulsa, is charged with one count of defrauding the Stillwater National Bank and Trust Company by means of a forged check. The defendant is also charged with possessing stolen mail. If convicted, bank fraud carries a statutory maximum penalty of 30 years in prison and a fine of $1,000,000 and possession of stolen mail carries five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The United States Postal Inspection Service is the investigative agency.

Ramon Gomez-Maldonado, Domingo Maldonado, Luis Alberto Cazares, Gregory Neil Gibson, Pamela Renee Gibson, Thomas Coy Gray Jr, Fernando Guzman-Martinez, and Jose L. Ramon Salgado. Drug Conspiracy and Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute.Drug Conspiracy and Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute. Gomez-Maldonado, 39, Maldonado, Cazares, 26, Salgado, 28, of Tulsa, and Guzman-Martinez, 22, of Dallas, Texas, all aliens, Gregory Gibson, 31, Pamela Gibson, 36, Gray, 53, all of Tulsa, are charged with conspiring to possess with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine; if convicted, the minimum statutory penalty is 10 years imprisonment and the statutory maximum penalty is Life imprisonment and a fine of $10,000,000.

Gomez-Maldonado, Cazares, and Guzman-Martinez are charged with possessing with intent to distribute one kilogram of methamphetamine in May of 2014; if convicted, the minimum statutory penalty is 10 years imprisonment and the statutory maximum penalty is Life imprisonment and a fine of $10,000,000. Gomez-Maldonado, Cazares, Gregory Gibson and Pamela Gibson are charged with possessing with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine in June of 2014; Gomez-Maldonado, Cazares, and Gray are charged with possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine in June of 2014; and Gomez-Maldonado, Cazares, and Salgado are charged with possessing with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine in July of 2014; if convicted of these crimes, the minimum statutory sentence is 5 years imprisonment and the maximum penalty is 40 years imprisonment and a fine of $5,000,000. The defendants would also face entry of a criminal forfeiture money judgment. The Drug Enforcement Administration is the investigative agency.

Jose Hernandez. Possession of Cocaine with Intent to Distribute and Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute. Hernandez, 36, of Tulsa, is charged with possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty is 20 years in prison and a fine of $1,000,000 for possession of cocaine with intent to distribute and five years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for possession of marijuana with intent to distribute. The Tulsa Police Department is the investigative agency.

Dennis James Jefferson and Scotty Wayne Harjo. Drug Conspiracy and Use of a Communication Facility in Committing and Facilitating the Commission of a Drug Trafficking Felony. Jefferson, 27, of Terlton, and Harjo, 30, of Tulsa, are charged with conspiring to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The defendants are also charged with using the U.S. Postal Service to accept a mail parcel containing methamphetamine and facilitating the distribution of methamphetamine. If convicted for the drug conspiracy, the defendants face a minimum of 5 years and maximum of 40 years in prison and a fine of up to $5,000,000. If convicted for use of the U.S. mail in committing a drug trafficking felony, the defendants are subject to a maximum prison sentence of four years and a fine of $250,000. The defendants would also face entry of a criminal forfeiture money judgment. The United States Postal Inspection Service is the lead investigative agency with assistance from Tulsa Police Department and Drug Enforcement Administration.

Luis Manuel Martinez-Martinez. Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition by an Alien Illegally in the United States and Alien in the United States After Deportation. Martinez-Martinez, 27, an alien illegally in the U.S., is charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition. The defendant is also charged with being in the U.S. illegally after deportation in April of 2011 near Laredo, Texas. If convicted, Martinez-Martinez faces up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for possession of a firearm and ammunition and up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for being an alien in the U.S. after deportation. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is the investigative agency.

Senator Harry Reid

Charles Jason Moreland. Influencing, Impeding, and Retaliating Against a Federal Official, Influencing, Impeding, and Retaliating Against the Immediate Family of a Federal Official, and Interstate Communications Containing Threats to Injure. Moreland, 31, of Tulsa, is charged with threatening to assault United States Senator Harry Reid and his immediate family members with the intent to interfere with and retaliate against Senator Reid while engaged in the performance of his official duties. The defendant is also charged with using interstate communication to transmit threats to injure Senator Reid. If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty of Counts One through Three is not more than 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is the investigative agency.

Frank Olmos Jr. Felon in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition. Frank Olmos, Jr. 33, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing one .45 ACP caliber pistol and ammunition after prior felony convictions. If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty is 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The defendant would also forfeit the firearm and ammunition. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is the investigative agency.

Jamie Rascon. Bank Fraud. Rascon, 30, of Siloam Springs, Arkansas, is charged with two counts of defrauding the Bank of Oklahoma by means of forged checks. If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty is 30 years in prison and a fine of $1,000,000. The United States Postal Inspection Service is the investigative agency.

William Rivera-Lara. Alien in the United States After Deportation. Rivera-Lara, 29, is charged with having returned to the United States unlawfully after being deported in April of 2014 near Phoenix, Arizona. If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is the investigative agency.

Aaron Joseph Rock. Bank Robbery. Rock, 24, of Tulsa, is charged with robbing BancFirst in Sand Springs. If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty is 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is the investigative agency.

Dustin Scott Ross. Bank Fraud. Ross, 20, of Muskogee, is charged with five counts of bank fraud. Three counts allege that Ross presented Bank of Oklahoma with forged checks and two counts allege that Ross presented the Tulsa Federal Credit Union with forged checks. If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty for each count is 30 years in prison and a fine of $1,000,000. The United States Postal Inspection Service is the investigative agency.

Fermin Soto-Alvarez. Alien in the United States After Deportation. Soto-Alvarez, 29, is charged with having returned to the United States unlawfully after being deported in April of 2009 near Paso Del Norte, Texas. If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is the investigative agency.

Oseas Vera-Guganio. Alien in the United States After Deportation. Vera-Guganio, 30, is charged with having returned to the United States unlawfully after being deported in March of 2010 at Del Rio, Texas. If convicted, Vera-Guganio faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is the investigative agency.

REGION II PROSECUTOR OF THE YEAR

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder with U.S. Attorney Danny Williams in Tulsa.

Williams also announced Robert T. Raley, Assistant United States Attorney and current Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) prosecutor, has been named the Oklahoma Region II Prosecutor of the Year. The award was presented by the Association of Oklahoma Narcotic Enforcers (A-ONE) on August 7, 2014 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

In 2013, Raley prosecuted and helped supervise 12 wire taps which resulted in the indictment and prosecution of multiple defendants. These prosecutions included a two week jury trial of a drug trafficking organization which resulted in a 20 year prison sentence.

These cases resulted from state and local investigations from the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and the Tulsa Police Department. Raley also prosecutes cases for the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Raley sits on the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Oklahoma Advisory Board, as well as the HIDTA Executive Board in Dallas where he represents all Oklahoma Federal law enforcement. He is a former State of Oklahoma Assistant Attorney General, Wagoner County Assistant District Attorney, and Project Director of the Multi-County Drug Task Force.

Raley has previously won the Oklahoma Region II Prosecutor of the Year Award and State of Oklahoma Prosecutor of the Year. Raley has been with the U.S. Attorney’s Office since 1996.