Over the past two weeks, five defendants have pleaded guilty or have been sentenced in the Northern District of Oklahoma for sex crimes involving minors, announced U.S. Attorney Trent Shores. The prosecutions are part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative and come on the heels of Operation Broken Heart, a two-month, nationwide operation that netted almost 1,700 suspected online child sex offenders and identified 308 offenders who either produced child pornography or committed child sexual abuse.

The Project Safe Childhood initiative marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and identifies and rescues victims.

“Our Project Safe Childhood initiative is crucial to ferreting out criminal deviants who try to sexually exploit minors. We conduct local undercover sting operations as well as use cyber-based investigative techniques to identify these child predators,” said U.S. Attorney Shores. “As a prosecutor, I sought justice for victims of child sexual abuse, human trafficking, and child pornography. I know just how important these cases are, which is why we continue to prioritize them. We must get child predators off our streets and behind bars. I’m thankful for the aggressive prosecution of these cases by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Chris Nassar and Shannon Cozzoni. Moreover, our partnerships with local, state, and federal investigators are crucial to protecting children in northern Oklahoma. There is no more righteous cause than protecting children.”

Levi William Welker, 29, of Tulsa, was sentenced to 17 years in federal prison followed by seven years on supervised release for distribution of child pornography, enticing a minor, and tampering with a witness and evidence. In February 2016, Welker shared child pornography using a bit torrent file sharing network. Investigators initially discovered 68 images on a torrent file which was traced to Welker’s IP address. During a search, investigators located more than 7,000 image and video files of child pornography. Welker also admitted that he later used multiple social media apps and communications devices to manipulate and lure two minor children to engage in sexual activity with him. He pretended to be 16 years old and provided the victims with cell phones in order to secretly communicate. When one of the children’s parents became suspicious, they reported Welker to the Tulsa Police Department. After the investigation commenced, police discovered that Welker messaged one of the victim’s social media accounts, asking her to lie to police and destroy evidence. He also destroyed other digital evidence in an effort to thwart the investigation. The Court remanded Welker into the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department investigated these crimes.

Kenny Wayne Brown, 52, of Gainesville, Texas, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison followed by 10 years on supervised release for attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. From Sept. 6 to Sept. 28, 2018, Brown unknowingly initiated contact with an Internet Crimes Against Children task force officer from the Bristow Police Department who was posing as a minor female. Using social media, he engaged the “girl” in explicit sexual conversation and sent pornographic images of himself to the “girl.” He eventually arranged to travel from Texas to Bristow, Oklahoma, in order to engage in sexual activity. During the arrest at the arranged location, Brown attempted to flee from officers nearly striking them with his vehicle until he was eventually stopped and arrested. Investigators discovered that Brown was also charged with online solicitation in May 2018 in Texas. The Bristow Police Department conducted the investigation.

Jeffrey Scott Cooper, 46, of Broken Arrow, was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison followed by five years on supervised release for attempted receipt of child pornography. From Dec. 18 to Dec. 20, 2018, Cooper unknowingly made contact with an officer from the Tulsa Police Department’s Cyber Crimes Task Force posing as a minor female. Using a social media app, Cooper started the conversation with what he believed to be a minor female. He then engaged the “girl” in explicit sexual conversation, eventually arranging to meet in order to engage in sexual activity. On Dec. 20, 2018, investigators arrested Cooper after he arrived in his company car at the arranged meeting location. The Tulsa Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.

Sean Clarke McCain, 32, of Tulsa, was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison followed by five years on supervised release for attempted receipt of child pornography. From Dec.18 to Dec. 20, 2018, McCain unknowingly made contact with an officer from Tulsa Police Department’s Cyber Crimes Task Force posing as a minor female using an online messaging app and attempted to receive photographs of the “minor” engaged in sexually explicit conduct. He then engaged the “girl” in explicit sexual conversation, eventually arranging to meet in order to engage in sexual activity. McCain was later arrested at the arranged meeting location. The Tulsa Police Department and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations conducted the investigation.

Robert Shawn Thomas Davis, 26, of Owasso, pleaded guilty on June 11, to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor. On March 25, 2019, Davis unknowingly initiated contact with an FBI Task Force Officer who was posing as a minor female. Davis engaged the “minor” in sexually explicit conversation, asking to meet her and to bring other children along to engage in sexual activity. He eventually arranged to meet the “minor.”  At his plea hearing, Davis admitted that from March 25 to April 4, 2019, he used a social media app on his phone to attempt to persuade, induce and coerce and entice a what he believed was a 13-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity with him. The Court set sentencing for Sept. 24, 2019. Davis faces a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison The Tulsa Police Department and FBI conducted the investigation.

Following their federal prison sentences, all convicted sex offenders are required to comply with requirements designed to restrict their access to children and to register as sex offenders.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Nassar prosecuted these crimes.

TULSA, Okla. – United States Attorney Trent Shores announced today the results of the May 2019 Federal Grand Jury.

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 violations of federal law, which must be proven in a court of law beyond a reasonable doubt to overcome a defendant’s presumption of innocence.

Brandon Michael Browning. Felon in Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition; Possession of Methamphetamine With Intent to Distribute; Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime. Browning, 35, of Claremore, is charged with being a felon in possession of a Rohm .22 caliber revolver and associated ammunition. He is further charged with possessing methamphetamine with intent to distribute and with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The Claremore Police Department, Rogers County Sheriff’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Drug Enforcement Administration are the investigative agencies.

Isidro Campos, Jose Antonio Ramirez-Lopez, Emilio Torres. Drug Conspiracy; Interstate Travel in Aid of Racketeering. Campos, 26, of Bell Gardens, California; Ramirez-Lopez, 22, of Phoenix, Arizona; and Torres, 30, of Huntington Park, California are charged with conspiring to distribute 500 grams of methamphetamine. Campos and Torres are further charged with traveling across state lines, from California to Oklahoma, to promote, manage, establish and carry on their alleged methamphetamine conspiracy. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol and Drug Enforcement Administration are the investigative agencies.

Sebastian Cobelo. Possession of Methamphetamine With Intent to Distribute (2 Counts); Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime (2 Counts).  Cobelo, 43, of Broken Arrow, is charged with possessing with intent to distribute 500 grams or more of methamphetamine and possession with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. He is further charged with possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. The Tulsa Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are the investigative agencies.

Robert Sean Thomas Davis. Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor. Thomas, 26, of Owasso, is charged with using a cell phone and social media apps to knowingly attempt to entice a minor to meet and engage in sexual activity. The FBI and Tulsa Police Department are the investigative agencies.

Harold Dewey Delonia, III, Whitney Nichole Parker. Felon in Possession of Firearm; Felon in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition (2 Counts); Transfer of Firearm to Prohibited Person. Delonia, 24, of Okmulgee, is charged with being a felon in possession of a Taurus 9 mm Luger pistol, a Glock .40 S&W caliber pistol, a Ruger 9mm Luger pistol and associated ammunition. Parker, 28, of Tulsa, is charged with transfer of a firearm to a prohibited person. On Nov. 10, 2018, Parker allegedly transferred the Taurus 9 mm Luger pistol to Delonia knowing he was a felon. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is the investigative agency.

Raytjuan Laquai Edwards. Felon in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition; Possession of a Firearm and Ammunition While Subject to a Domestic Violence Protective Order; Obstruction of Justice by Tampering with A Witness. Edwards, 39, of Tulsa, is charged with being a felon in possession of a Forjas Taurus .357 Magnum and various ammunition. Edwards was previously convicted five times on gun and drug distribution charges. Edwards is further charged with possessing a firearm while subject to a domestic violence protective order. A protective order was issued on Nov. 5, 2018, restraining Edwards from harassing, stalking and threatening an intimate partner and the partner’s child or from engaging in any conduct that would place the two in reasonable fear of bodily injury. Finally, Edwards is charged with obstructing justice by tampering with a witness. The Tulsa Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are the investigative agencies.

Kevin Ryan Evraets. Sale of a Firearm to a Prohibited Person; Dealing Firearms Without a License. Evraets, 33, of Broken Arrow, is charged with knowingly selling a Ruger .40 caliber pistol to an individual who was a convicted felon. He is further charged with dealing firearms without a license from July to December 2018 in the Northern District of Oklahoma. The Tulsa Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are the investigative agencies.

Raymond Mark Hamilton. Felon in Possession of a Firearm. Hamilton, 62, of Tulsa, is charged with being a felon in possessing a Smith and Wesson semi-automatic pistol and associated ammunition. Hamilton has 10 previous felony convictions. The Tulsa Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are the investigative agencies.

Braden Kial Johnson. Bank Fraud. Johnson, 23, of Bixby, is charged with executing a scheme to fraudulently obtain money from RCB Bank from Dec. 7, 2018 to Feb. 9, 2019. Johnson was a treasurer for a Claremore youth sports association where he allegedly drafted unauthorized checks from the association’s bank account, making the checks payable to himself then forging the signature of the former treasurer. He would then cash the checks. As part of the scheme, Johnson allegedly forged approximately 18 checks and fraudulently obtained at least $22,368.50. The Claremore Police Department and FBI are the investigative agencies.

Nabrai Lyntrel Lyons. Drug Conspiracy; Attempted Possession of Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute; Possession of Fentanyl with Intent to Distribute; Importation of a Controlled Substance - Fentanyl; Possession of Firearm in Furtherance of Drug Trafficking Crimes; Smuggling Goods into the United States. Lyons, 24, of Tulsa, is charged with conspiring with others to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl; knowingly attempting to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl; knowingly possessing with intent to distribute fentanyl; importing a controlled substance into the United States not pursuant to Attorney General regulations; and receiving merchandise she knew to have been smuggled into the United States.  Finally, Lyons is charged with possessing a Taurus 9 mm caliber pistol in furtherance of drug trafficking crimes. The Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, and Tulsa County Sheriff’s Office are the investigative agencies.

Timothy Dwayne Parker. Attempted Coercion and Enticement of a Minor. Parker, 53, of Sapulpa, is charged with using his cell phone to knowingly attempt to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity. The Sapulpa and Bristow Police Departments are the investigative agencies.

Kevin Glenn Petty. Theft of Government Property; Aggravated identity Theft. Petty, 54, of Sand Springs was charged with theft of government property and fraudulently using another individual’s identity in pursuit of his crime. Petty allegedly filed fraudulent 2016 income tax returns under the name of taxpayer Woodson J. Nightwalker. The $3,800 tax refund amount was deposited into a Green Dot card account, which funded a Green Dot pre-paid debit account. Petty allegedly filed five additional fraudulent returns, which were intercepted by the IRS. The six false returns filed by Petty sought a total of $12, 303 in fraudulent refunds. The case was investigated by special agents of IRS-Criminal Investigation and the U.S. Postal Inspector.

James Thomas Saunders, Jr. Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute; Possession of Firearms in Furtherance of a Drug Traffkicking Crime; Felon in Possession of Firearms and Ammunition. Saunders, 29, of Tulsa, is charged with possessing with intent to distribute methamphetamine, with possessing firearms to further his methamphetamine distribution, and being a felon in possession of a Lorcin 9 mm, 9x19mm caliber semi-automatic pistol, a Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun and various ammunition. Saunders had eight previous felony convictions. The Tulsa Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are the investigative agencies.

Canado Lopez Smith. Felon in Possession of Firearm and Ammunition, Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute, Possession of a Firearm in Furtherance of a Drug Trafficking Crime.  Smith, 46, of Tulsa, is charged with being a felon in possession of a Phoenix Arms .22 long rifle caliber semi-automatic pistol and associated ammunition. He is further charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of a firearm to further his drug trafficking crime. The Tulsa Police Department and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are the investigative agencies.

Lance Thomas Weaver. Possession of Methamphetamine with Intent to Distribute. Weaver, 46, of Pryor, is charged with possessing with intent to distribute 50 grams or more of methamphetamine. The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office is the investigative agency.