Okla. District Attorney Indicted for Embezzlement

A Multicounty Grand Jury indictment unsealed recently in Oklahoma’s Cherokee County District Court accuses District Attorney Richard Gray of embezzling money seized as evidence in drug investigations, state Attorney General Drew Edmondson said.

Gray, the district attorney for Adair, Cherokee, Sequoyah and Wagoner Counties, is accused of taking almost $9,000 in seized drug monies from a drug task force safe. The grand jury indicted Gray last week on one count of embezzlement.

“According to the indictment, in March 2004 Gray took drug money from the drug task force safe under the guise of placing the funds in a safety deposit box,” Edmondson said. “The drug money was evidence from two different seizures, the first totaling $2,330 and the second $6,534. Gray’s office obtained a forfeiture order for the funds, but the money has never been deposited with the county treasurer. Gray is the last person to have possession of the funds.”

Gray is not the first person to be indicted in the grand jury’s ongoing investigation of the district attorney’s office.

Janet Bickel, former assistant district attorney, and Vyrl Keeter, office administrator, were indicted in January after the investigation discovered drug possession, tampering with evidence and a cover-up scheme. Both pleaded guilty to the charges.

“The Multicounty Grand Jury is a powerful tool for uncovering criminal activity,” Edmondson said. “I am proud of the work we’ve done to combat public corruption in Oklahoma.”

Source: Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office