Criminal Division

The Criminal Division of the United States Attorney’s Office is responsible for the prosecution of federal crimes in the Eastern District of Oklahoma. Many of the offenses prosecuted by the Criminal Division arise from the District’s Indian reservations which constitute Indian country under federal law. Most serious offenses involving Native Americans which take place in Indian country are prosecuted in federal court under the Major Crimes Act, the Assimilative Crimes Act, or other federal statutes. The Criminal Division works collaboratively with tribal and state prosecutors to coordinate the prosecution of offenses arising in Indian country.

Other crimes prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) assigned to the Criminal Division cover a wide range of criminal activities, including drug trafficking, immigration, terrorism, human trafficking, firearms violations, child pornography, corporate and financial institution fraud, bankruptcy fraud, mail/wire fraud, healthcare fraud, computer fraud, agricultural program fraud, public corruption, civil rights violations, and many other federal offenses prohibited by federal statutes.

The Criminal Division is divided into three units: Violent Crime, Special Victims, and General Crimes.  AUSAs in the Violent Crime unit focus on prosecuting violent crimes occurring throughout the district including homicide, kidnapping, robbery, firearm offenses, and felony assaults. The Special Victims Unit (SVU) is tasked with prosecuting cases involving adult or child victims of sexual abuse and exploitation.  General Crime Unit AUSAs handle the balance of federal crimes such as narcotics trafficking, white collar crimes, and civil rights violations.

Within the Criminal Division, one attorney serves as the lead Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) prosecutor handling major transnational drug trafficking prosecutions. One attorney in the Division serves as the District’s anti-terrorism coordinator (ATAC) and serves as the Border Security Coordinator. An AUSA is the Project Safe Childhood (PSC) Coordinator which is a Department of Justice initiative that aims to combat technology-facilitated sexual exploitation crimes against children. Another prosecutor serves as the Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN) Coordinator which is a nationwide program designed to reduce firearm violence and firearm crimes. The District’s asset forfeiture attorney is also assigned to the Criminal Division and focuses on obtaining judgments and collecting restitution for crime victims.