WALDRON, AK   – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Megan Marie Rogers, age 34, of Waldron, Arkansas entered a guilty plea to Drug Conspiracy.

The Superseding Indictment alleged that beginning in November 2019, and continuing until February 2020, within the Eastern District of Oklahoma and elsewhere, Rogers willfully and knowingly agreed with Kyle Lee Hamby, Marty Ray Campbell, Chelsea Lynne Cox, and others to acquire large amounts of methamphetamine and distribute it for money, and that specifically, on February 21, 2020, Rogers was arrested in Waldron, Arkansas in possession of methamphetamine and firearms.

The charges arose from a joint investigation led by Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”), and the Sequoyah County Sheriff’s Office.  Numerous other agencies played important roles, including HSI task force members from the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office, the Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office, the Wagoner County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tulsa Police Department, and DEA McAlester HIDTA Task Force members, Bureau of Indian Affairs and the DA District 18 Drug Task Force. The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, Poteau Police Department, DA District 16 Drug Task Force, Arkoma Police Department, LeFlore County Sheriff’s Office, and Choctaw Nation Tribal Police also assisted.

This case is part of the Department of Justice’s Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF) program. The OCDETF program is the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s drug supply reduction strategy. OCDETF was established to conduct comprehensive, multilevel attacks on major drug trafficking and money laundering organizations. Today, OCDETF combines the resources and expertise of its member federal agencies in cooperation with state and local law enforcement. The principal mission of the OCDETF program is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle the most serious drug trafficking and money laundering organizations and those primarily responsible for the nation’s illicit drug supply.

The Honorable John F. Heil, III, U.S. District Judge in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma, in Muskogee, accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.

Special Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Schroeder represented the United States.

FORT GIBSON, OK – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma announced that Joshua Wade Frazier, age 39, of Fort Gibson, Oklahoma entered a guilty plea to Possession With Intent To Distribute Methamphetamine, in violation of Title 21, United States Code, Sections 841(a)(1) and 841(b)(1)(A), punishable by not less than 10 years and not more than life imprisonment, a fine up to $10,000,000.00, or both.

The Indictment alleged that on or about May 3, 2020, in the Eastern District of Oklahoma, the defendant, did knowingly and intentionally possess with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine (actual), a Schedule II controlled substance.

The charges arose from a joint investigation by the Fort Gibson Police Department and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

The Honorable Amanda G. Maxwell, U.S. Magistrate Judge out of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma, temporarily assigned to the Eastern District of Oklahoma, presided over the hearing and accepted the plea and ordered the completion of a presentence investigation report.

Assistant United States Attorney Ryan Conway represented the United States.

WATERLOO, IA – A man who possessed photographs and at least six videos containing child [censored]ography, and who communicated with others online in an attempt to obtain additional nude photographs of children, was sentenced today to more than 15 years in federal prison.

Dustin Herhold, age 27, from Waterloo, Iowa, received the prison term after an August 6, 2020 guilty plea to the attempted sexual exploitation of a child.

In a plea agreement, Herhold admitted that between September 20, 2019, and October 1, 2019, he used a chat application to request nude photos of a twelve-year old child.  He also admitted to possessing nude photographs of children on a tablet.

Herhold was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Judge C.J. Williams.  Herhold was sentenced to 188 months’ imprisonment and fined $100.  He must also serve a 5-year term of supervised release after the prison term and register as a sex offender.  There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims.  For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc.  For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”

Herhold is being held in the United States Marshal’s custody until he can be transported to a federal prison.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Liz Dupuich and investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – An Independence, Missouri, man pleaded guilty in federal court today to illegally possessing a firearm following a police chase in a stolen pickup truck.

John D. Seger, 28, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

By pleading guilty today, Seger admitted that he was in possession of a Phoenix handgun while driving a stolen pickup truck on Jan. 18, 2017. Independence police officers saw Seger run a red light. Officers attempted a traffic stop, but Seger fled from police and stopped only after the vehicle wrecked and became inoperable. Seger fled on foot before being apprehended by police. Officers then found the handgun inside the pickup truck.

Under federal law, it is illegal for anyone who has been convicted of a felony to be in possession of any firearm or ammunition. Seger has a prior felony conviction for voluntary manslaughter, two prior felony convictions for burglary, two prior convictions for tampering with a motor vehicle, and a prior felony conviction for resisting arrest.

Under federal statutes, Seger is subject to a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary Kate Butterfield. It was investigated by the Independence, Mo., Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Project Safe Neighborhoods
The U.S. Attorney’s Office is partnering with federal, state, and local law enforcement to specifically identify criminals responsible for significant violent crime in the Western District of Missouri. A centerpiece of this effort is Project Safe Neighborhoods, a program that brings together all levels of law enforcement to reduce violent crime and make neighborhoods safer for everyone. Project Safe Neighborhoods is an evidence-based program that identifies the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develops comprehensive solutions to address them. As part of this strategy, Project Safe Neighborhoods focuses enforcement efforts on the most violent offenders and partners with locally based prevention and reentry programs for lasting reductions in crime.

MONTROSE, CO – United States Attorney Jason Dunn announced that Naomi Vaughn, 36, of Montrose, Colorado, was sentenced to more than seven years (87 months) in federal prison for her role in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.  Vaughn’s prison sentence will be followed by a five-year term of supervised release.

According to court documents, as well as facts presented at sentencing, Vaughn and her husband/co-defendant Joseph Davis were mid-level dealers of methamphetamine in Montrose, Colorado.  They received and distributed multiple pounds of methamphetamine for profit.  Vaughn began this criminal activity shortly after her husband was released on parole in 2019, after he served a portion of a ten-year state prison sentence for previous drug distribution.  After Davis was released on parole, the couple distributed methamphetamine from their Montrose residence.

“Montrose is an important community on the western slope,” said U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn.  “Drug rings operating in small communities can have a devasting impact on the quality of life.  I commend our federal and local law enforcement partners who worked tirelessly with our prosecutors to make a real difference for everyone who lives in Montrose and the surrounding area.”

“This sentencing sends a clear message that those who seek to sell this poison in our community will be caught and dealt with severely,” said DEA Special Agent in Charge Deanne Reuter.  “The DEA and our law enforcement partners across the state are committed to eradicating the illegal sale and distribution of methamphetamine and other hard drugs plaguing our communities.”

United States District Court Judge Christine M. Arguello sentenced Vaughn on January 7, 2021.  Davis was previously sentenced to more than 12 years (151 months) for his involvement in the drug conspiracy.

The investigation in this matter was conducted by the DEA, the Montrose County Sheriff’s Office, the Montrose County Police Department, and the Seventh Judicial District Drug Task Force.  Assistant United States Attorney Zachary Phillips is leading the prosecution.