Operation Independence Day Arrest Results in Guilty Plea

Sperry Man Admits to Sexual Exploitation of a Child

A man arrested as part of a month long operation to capture predators and identify child victims pleaded guilty Friday in federal court for sexual exploitation of a child, announced U.S. Attorney Trent Shores.

Thomas Dustin Daughtry, 42, of Sperry, illegally engaged with the minor from Feb. 18, 2019 through June 25, 2019. In his plea agreement, Daughtry stated that he knowingly enticed a 15-year-old into engaging in sexually explicit conduct and persuaded the minor to send sexual images to him.

“The U.S. Attorney’s Office is a fierce advocate for Oklahoma’s children,” said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores. “Child predators like Mr. Daughtry use the internet as their hunting grounds to find vulnerable prey. Prosecutors and our law enforcement partners will remain vigilant in our own righteous hunt for these abusers and bring them forward to account for their crimes.”  

This prosecution resulted from Operation Independence Day, an investigation which was conducted in the month of July and resulted in nine individuals being charged federally in the Northern District of Oklahoma.

The nationwide operation relied on the 86 FBI-led Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Forces, which leverage the resources and intelligence of other federal, state, local and tribal partners. In total, law enforcement recovered or identified 103 child victims and arrested of 67 sex traffickers.

The FBI and Tulsa Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Shannon Cozzoni is prosecuting the case.

Topic(s): 

Project Safe Childhood

Component(s): 

USAO - Oklahoma, Northern

Contact: 

Public Affairs 918-382-2755

Five defendants convicted of child sex trafficking

Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
Western District of Oklahoma

Five Who Purchased and Sold Children for Sex in Oklahoma City Ordered to Serve Combined 38 Years in Prison and Pay Over $635,000 in Restitution to Victims

OKLAHOMA CITY – Five defendants convicted of child sex trafficking were ordered to serve a combined 38 years in federal prison and pay over $635,000 in restitution to victims, announced Robert J. Troester, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma.

According to court records, in October 2014, Maurice M. Johnson engaged in sex trafficking of two girls (aged 14 and 15) and an adult female.  As soon as the 14-year-old girl was recruited, Johnson instructed her to start calling phone numbers from the escort section of the Yellow Pages to find Tonya Gay Gum, whom he knew as "Carmen."  At the time, Gum operated at least twenty phone numbers listed in the escort section of the Oklahoma City Yellow Pages.  The 14-year-old victim made contact with Gum and sent her photographs of herself and the adult female.  After that, Gum began arranging commercial sex transactions between her established customer base (or new customers who called her phone lines) and the females under Johnson’s control.  Johnson drove the girls to hotels, residences, and commercial spaces, where the customers paid in cash for sex.  After each commercial sex transaction, Gum met the girls at different locations in the Oklahoma City metropolitan area to receive the proceeds, which Gum and Johnson split.  They did not give any money to the victims they trafficked.

A federal grand jury indicted Johnson on December 3, 2014.  He pleaded guilty to child sex trafficking on January 30, 2015, before U.S. District Judge Robin J. Cauthron.  In August 2017, he was sentenced to 240 months in prison and five years of supervised release.

Gum and three customers who purchased sex with the children were indicted by a federal grand jury on June 16, 2015.  On  November 19, 2015, Gum pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit child sex trafficking, also before Judge Cauthron.  In August 2017, she was sentenced to 48 months in federal prison and three years of supervised release.

The three customers—William M. Baker, Trung N. Duong, and Curtis A. Anthony—purchased sex with the children in October 2014.  Before their convictions, their cases went before the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals, which held in February 2017 that they could be convicted of child sex trafficking even if they did not know or recklessly disregard a child victim’s age, so long as they had a "reasonable opportunity to view" the child victim.

On May 9, 2017, Duong pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit child sex trafficking.  On November 2, 2017, Baker also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit child sex trafficking.  In August 2017, Judge Cauthron sentenced each of them to 24 months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release.

Anthony went to trial and was convicted by a federal jury on June 19, 2017, of both conspiracy to commit child sex trafficking and child sex trafficking.  He was sentenced in October 2017 to 120 months in federal prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release.

All of these defendants will be required to register as sex offenders for 25 years after released from custody.

At the time of the sentencings, the court deferred a determination of restitution.  Today Judge Cauthron amended the judgments and ordered all five defendants to pay $635,247 in restitution to victims, with each defendant jointly and severally liable for the full amount immediately.  "Although the innocence of these children cannot be restored, we are pleased that the Court is holding the defendants responsible for paying for the future care and treatment caused by their crimes," said Acting U.S. Attorney Troester.

This case is the result of an investigation by United States Department of Homeland Security and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys McKenzie Anderson and David Petermann prosecuted the case.

Department Of Justice

Trinity Mount Ministries

A Historic Settlement with the Osage Tribe of Oklahoma:

 A Historic Settlement with the Osage Tribe of Oklahoma:

 

October 21st, 2011 Posted by Tracy Russo

The following post appears courtesy of Ignacia Moreno, the Assistant Attorney General Environment and Natural Resources Division at the U.S. Department of Justice and Hilary Tompkins, the Solicitor of the U.S. Department of Interior 

Today, we joined Osage Tribe Principal Chief John Red Eagle, other tribal leaders, and our colleagues at the Treasury Department, in a ceremony to commemorate a historic settlement marking the end of a long-running lawsuit by the Osage Tribe of Oklahoma regarding claims involving the United States’ accounting and management of the tribe’s trust funds and non-monetary trust assets.

Reaching a final settlement with the Osage Tribe on its trust accounting and trust mismanagement claims has been a priority for the Department of Justice and the Department of the Interior.
Attorney General Holder and Secretary Salazar have been committed to resolving  pending tribal trust accounting and trust mismanagement cases, in a fair and equitable manner and without protracted litigation, so that the United States and the tribes can jointly undertake reconciliation and empowerment for American Indian nations.

The settlement between the Osage Tribe and the United States is the product of months of dedicated efforts by the parties to achieve a fair and just resolution of the tribe’s trust claims.  The settlement is fundamental to the government-to-government relationship between the United States and the tribe.
The agreement marks a new beginning – one of just reconciliation, better communication between the Interior Department and the tribe, and strengthened management by Interior of tribal trust funds and trust resources.
The negotiated agreement, which was executed on Oct. 14, 2011, will end litigation regarding Interior’s accounting and management of the tribe’s trust accounts, trust lands, and other natural resources, including the tribe’s mineral estate.

The United States will pay the tribe $380 million in compensation for the tribe’s claims of historical losses to its trust funds and interest income as a result of the government’s management of trust assets.  The parties will implement measures that will lead to strengthened management of the tribe’s trust assets and improved communications between Interior and the tribe.
These measures include procedures for delivery of periodic statements of account, annual audit information, and information relating to the management of the mineral estate to the tribe.   Importantly, the agreement also provides dispute resolution provisions to reduce the likelihood of future litigation.



The United States looks forward to its continuing work with the Osage Tribe in a spirit of true partnership and mutual respect to build a stronger trust relationship.

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