Federal prosecutors in Tulsa say five to eight cases may be affected by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder's proposal to change federal sentencing policies.
Earlier this month, Holder told federal prosecutors to stop charging many nonviolent drug defendants with offenses that carry mandatory minimum sentences. Danny Williams Sr., the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Oklahoma, says a review of pending drug prosecutions showed that up to eight cases could be affected.
Williams tells the Tulsa World the policy change will likely result in fewer drug prosecutions in Tulsa federal court. But he says his office will remain aggressive in prosecuting large-scale drug trafficking operations.
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Tulsa says drug cases accounted for about 20 percent of the cases filed in fiscal year 2013.
