Federal Grand Jury Criminal Indictments Announced

TULSA, Okla.- The results of the April 2015 Federal Grand Jury were announced today by Danny C. Williams Sr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma.

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

Roger Dean Armstrong Jr. and Roger Dean Armstrong Sr. Assault with a Dangerous Weapon in Indian Country. Armstrong Jr., 34, and Armstrong Sr., 60, both from Wyandotte, Oklahoma, are charged with assaulting two people with a dangerous weapon. If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty is ten years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The Bureau of Indian Affairs is the investigating agency.

Jaime Ayvar-Martinez. Alien in the United States After Deportation. Ayvar-Martinez, 24, was arrested and is charged with having returned to the United States unlawfully after being deported in June 2013 near Del Rio, Texas. If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement is the investigating agency.

Timothy Patrick Hoyt. Interference with Commerce by Robbery. Hoyt, 44, of Bella Vista, Arkansas, is charged with robbing a restaurant employee by force. If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty is 20 years in prison and $250,000 fine. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is handling the case.

Billy Joe Laverty and Allen Wayne Smith. Carjacking, Interference with Commerce by Robbery, and Use, Carry, Brandish, and Discharge a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence. Laverty, 38, of Tulsa, and Smith, 48, are charged with carjacking and robbing a restaurant employee by force on January 17 and 19, 2015. In addition, the defendants are charged with firing a pistol during the robbery on January 19, 2015. If convicted, the carjacking charge carries a statutory maximum penalty of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine; interference with commerce by robbery carries a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine; and discharging a firearm during a crime of violence carries a statutory maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is handling the case.

Carlos Peralta-Urquiza. Alien in the United States After Deportation. Peralta-Urquiza, 39, was arrested and is charged with having returned to the United States unlawfully after being deported in April 2012 near Eagles Pass, Texas. If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement is the investigating agency.           

Patty Jean Phelps. Assaulting a Federal Officer and Assault within the Special Maritime and Territorial Jurisdiction of the United States by Striking, Beating, and Wounding. Phelps, 44, of Bella Vista, Arkansas, is charged with using a vehicle to assault a Department of Veterans Affairs Officer while engaged in official duty at the Ernest Childers Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic on March 3, 2015. If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The Federal Bureau of Investigation is handling the case.

Anita LaDon Rendel.  Embezzle, Steal, Convert and Misapply Monies in Excess of $1,000 From an Indian Tribal Organization. Rendel, 51, of Miami, Oklahoma, is charged with embezzling more than $1,000 from the Eastern Shawnee Tribe. If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The Department of Housing and Urban Development, Office of the Inspector General is investigating the case.

Eric Grant Roberts. Malicious Mischief in Indian Country. Roberts, 44, of Tulsa, is charged with maliciously destroying personal property belonging to an Indian person. If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cherokee Nation Marshal Service are the investigating agencies.

Marcus Dupree Smith and Kamau Jahi Williams. Drug Conspiracy and Possession of Cocaine Base with Intent to Distribute. Smith, 32, and Williams, 36, both of Tulsa, are charged with conspiring to possess with intent to distribute 28 grams or more of crack cocaine on January 17, 2015. Upon conviction, the defendants face a joint and several money judgment representing proceeds obtained as a result of the drug conspiracy and possession of crack cocaine with intent to distribute offense. If convicted, the statutory minimum penalty is five years and the maximum penalty is 40 years in prison and a $5,000,000 fine. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tulsa Police Department are the investigating agencies.

Jose Vera-Diaz. Alien in the United States After Deportation. Vera-Diaz, 50, was arrested and is charged with having returned to the United States unlawfully after being deported in January 2014 near Del Rio, Texas. If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement is the investigating agency.

Laretta Carol Wilcox. Theft of Government Property. Wilcox, 47, of Tulsa, is charged with stealing more than $1,000 from the Social Security Administration from July to November 2014. Upon conviction, the defendant shall forfeit property and also faces a money judgment representing proceeds of her theft of government property offense. If convicted, the statutory maximum penalty is ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General is investigating the case.