Indictment Unsealed On Plot To Intimidate Witness

Tulsa - United States Attorney Danny C. Williams, Sr. announced today the unsealing of an indictment with charges against four men and one woman for plotting to interfere with a federal witness. Christopher Aaron Charlton (age 30), Erin Elizabeth Mackool (age 26), William Lucas Mayberry (age 26), Charles August Hoffman (age 30) and David Bryce Brooner (age 37), all of Tulsa, are accused of conspiring to prevent a witness from communicating with federal law enforcement information concerning a violent crime. Documents filed in the case described possession of duct tape, zip ties and firearms for use with threats and intimidation to prevent the witness from communicating with authorities.

Additional charges against the men and woman were also filed for their illegal possession of firearms, including an unregistered sawed-off shotgun. The conspirators could receive prison sentences of up to thirty (30) years imprisonment with no parole if convicted of the plot to interfere with the witness.

U.S. Attorney Williams stressed that interfering with any witness, whether state or federal, is a serious offense that will result in lengthy sentences. Williams noted that the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma cooperates fully with federal, state and local authorities to protect witnesses who come forward with information regarding criminal behavior. Agencies participating in the investigation include the Department of Homeland Security, the Tulsa Police Department and the Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office.

Indictments are a charging instrument and each defendant is presumed innocent until convicted of the charged crimes.