The state’s multicounty grand jury has indicted two Tulsa County men and a third person for their alleged involvement in illegal marijuana operations, state Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s office announced Monday.
Kody Sumter, 34, is accused of recruiting Oklahoma residents to serve as “straw owners” on licenses and registrations of medical marijuana grow businesses.
Straw owners are used to skirt the state’s strict residency requirements to open marijuana operations.
Sumter is accused of connecting residents to non-residents and charging non-residents a fee used partially to pay the residents for use of their information.
The grand jury also indicted Michael Dudek, 35, and Dengfeng Huang, 44, for allegedly providing fraudulent documentation and information to obtain medical marijuana licensing and registration.
Sumter is alleged to have paid Dudek to be a straw owner for a Seminole County marijuana grow operation and connected Dudek to a nonresident.
He is also accused of submitting fraudulent information to the state claiming he owned 75 percent of an Ada medical marijuana grow and that Huang owned 25 percent.
Sumter is charged with conspiracy to defraud the state and aggravated manufacturing of a controlled dangerous substance.
Huang is charged with conspiracy to defraud the state, aggravated manufacturing of a controlled dangerous substance and trafficking of a controlled dangerous substance in excess 25 pounds.
Dudek is charged with conspiracy to defraud the state and aggravated manufacturing of a controlled dangerous substance.
The indictments were handed down in July but sealed until late last week.
“These cases illustrate how unscrupulous individuals have exploited Oklahoma’s medical marijuana industry for nefarious and illegal criminal activity,” Drummond said in a news release. “While many individuals are lawfully abiding by the regulations governing medical marijuana, law enforcement is tirelessly cracking down on the bad actors who are feeding the nation’s illegal marijuana market. These ‘straw ownership’ schemes made a mockery of our laws, and they will not be tolerated.”
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: 3 men indicted in ‘straw ownership’ of illegal Oklahoma marijuana farms
EMEA Tribune is not involved in this news article, it is taken from our partners and or from the News Agencies. Copyright and Credit go to the News Agencies, email news@emeatribune.com Follow our WhatsApp verified Channel
