Oklahoma Inmate Pleads Guilty to Running a Drug Conspiracy
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.
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