Oklahoma Attorney General files embezzlement charges against a McIntosh County Contractor couple
The charges were filed against an Oklahoma husband and wife duo - Victor and Julie Downing.
The AG’s office says the couple is accused of 14 counts of embezzlement and one count of Pattern of Criminal Offenses. If convicted of the charges, they each face up to 72 years in prison and over $100,000 in restitution.
According to investigators, the couple - who owned V&J Steel Buildings LLC, took in nearly $117,000 dollars for projects that were either never started or never completed. Investigators also uncovered fraud dating back to November 2020. The AG’s office is encouraging any other potential victims to come forward.
Real ID deadline extension
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced Monday it will begin enforcing the more stringent identification requirement on May 7, 2025. Previously the deadline was May 3, 2023. This is DHS’s third extension.
Officials say the extended deadline will give states-like Oklahoma-more time to ensure residents can obtain a REAL ID-compliant license or identification card. It’s encouraging news for Oklahomans who have struggled with long lines and delays in trying to obtain a REAL ID.
Once the new deadline passes, travelers 18 years and older will need a REAL ID-compliant identification document to pass through the nation’s airports.
Bureau of Indian Affairs and Federal Bureau of Investigation signs agreement to improve law enforcement in Indian Country
The Bureau of Indian Affairs and Federal Bureau of Investigation signed an agreement this week to improve law enforcement in Indian Country.
Attorney General Merrick Garland spoke during the 2022 White House tribal nation summit and announced the agreement which promises more interagency cooperation and promised to better investigate crimes that occur in Indian Country-including missing and murdered Indigenous people. The goal is to cut through bureaucracy created by multiple agencies investigating crimes over different jurisdictions.
The agreement is one of many announced during the first in-person summit to occur at the White House in six years. The Biden administration has promised more protections for sacred sites and tribal lands and pledged to support efforts to combat climate change within Indian Country.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation releases annual suggestions for changes to rules for hunting and wildlife management
This year’s proposed updates to hunting rules could lead to some big changes like: Extending squirrel season by a month, authorizing air-powered arrow rifles for deer hunting and requiring duck hunters to remove their blinds at the end of each day.
A new wildlife management rule change would allow beekeepers to file a complaint if an animal plunders their hives in the same way a farmer would if an animal destroyed their crops. Another would clarify how to respond when a bear damages property.
Oklahomans can provide their input now through January 6th via the Department’s online comment form. Or they can attend a public meeting about the proposed changes on January 5th.
Two Creek Freedmen descendants argue they have a right to citizenship in the tribal nation
Rhonda Grayson and Jeffrey Kennedy’s applications for citizenship to the Muscogee Nation had previously been denied by the citizenship board in 2020. Both are asking the court for a do over in the case.
Grayson and Kennedy say the Muscogee Nation is not upholding its responsibilities under the tribal nation’s 1866 Reconstruction Treaty, which they say allows them to be citizens. They were joined outside and inside the courthouse by their lawyer Damario Solomom Simmons and numerous supporters who claim the tribal nation is discriminating against them.
In a statement, Muscogee Nation's attorney general Geri Weisner says she believes the tribal nation followed the law when they denied citizenship for Grayson and Kennedy and the attempt to make this case about race is "legally unfounded and morally reprehensible."
A civil trial on the pair’s citizenship petition is set for April of 2023 in Muscogee Nation District Court.
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