Cynthia and her husband embarked on a typical day in December 2022 as they made their way to their retirement home. Their intention was to clean out the house after the holiday season.
Suddenly, her phone vibrated with a new message.
Cynthia found herself in a difficult situation: she had to make a tough decision between paying or potentially putting her son at risk of being assaulted, or worse, killed. This was a time when her son was incarcerated at the Lawton Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility.
In 2017, the extortion threats began when her son was incarcerated at the Oklahoma County Detention Center. Cynthia believes that gangs are behind these extortion attempts.
During his first week in jail, Cynthia recalled an incident where she went to Walgreens and purchased over $500 worth of Green Dot reloadable debit cards. She then texted the card details, hoping that it would put an end to the threats. However, her efforts proved ineffective.
Cynthia’s son, currently serving an 11-year sentence, is grappling with mental health challenges and drug addiction. Unfortunately, he is also indebted to the gangs from whom he buys drugs. Disturbingly, Cynthia’s refusal to send money has led to additional interest being added to his debt and an assault on her son. Heartbreakingly, he confided in her that he was subjected to sexual assault.
In the same month, she received a photo from another inmate, which displayed her address listed on the internet. The inmate used this photo as a means to threaten her life.
Cynthia, a 65-year-old mother of two residing in Oklahoma City, has disclosed that she has expended over $50,000 on Green Dot cards and Cash App payments since 2017. Out of the total amount, approximately $40,000 has been spent using the cards, while the remaining $10,000 has been utilized through Cash App. These malevolent individuals have coerced Cynthia into categorizing these payments as innocent expenses, such as coffee or art supplies, in order to avoid arousing suspicion.
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Oklahoma Watch had the opportunity to speak with six individuals who shared remarkably similar accounts of extortion. For the safety of these individuals and their incarcerated loved ones, their names have been changed or withheld to prevent potential acts of retaliatory violence.
According to over a dozen Oklahoma correctional experts, prisoner advocates, and district attorneys, numerous cases go unreported due to the fear of gang retaliation. This makes it challenging to determine the exact number of people affected. Surprisingly, the Department of Corrections doesn’t even keep track of the number of extortion cases.
During his tenure as the Director of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections from 2016 to 2019, Joe Allbaugh acknowledged the pervasive issue of gangs extorting family members from inside the prisons. Despite his efforts, he admitted that he was unable to effectively address this problem.
Allbaugh expressed his personal concern, stating, “It’s another one of these things that keeps me up at night. I failed.”
‘I am a walking zombie. I am a shell of myself’
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Sylvia’s son was also in prison at the time when the extortion started at Lawton prison.
Within just a few weeks of her son being incarcerated in April 2023, even though she resides thousands of miles away from Oklahoma, she began receiving text messages from individuals believed to be associated with gangs.
When he arrived at Lawton, Sylvia mentioned that being only 21 years old made him vulnerable.
Sylvia, a mother of three from Mississippi, found herself inundated with calls from her son, pleading for money to pay off the blackmailers. Despite receiving approximately 20 calls a day, she tried her best to ignore them.
In May 2023, her home city was struck by a violent storm. Amidst the fierce winds and heavy rain, her son’s incessant calls persisted.
After the storm subsided and cell service was restored, she finally gave in and sent $180.
Opinion: It is high time for Oklahoma to revamp the process of selecting and running private correctional facilities.
There was a time when she couldn’t deliver the money to the inmates on time, which resulted in him getting stabbed.
She sends a minimum of $100 every week. Her son shared that since last summer, she has already sent over $13,000. However, if she ever falls behind on her payments, her son fears that his meals will be withheld by inmates who work as food runners in the cafeteria. He is constantly afraid to leave his cell because he gets attacked frequently, even when escorted to the showers.
As soon as I see the name of the prison flash on my cell phone screen, nausea washes over me. It’s as if I’ve been transformed into a walking zombie, a mere shell of my former self.
Inmates are facing extortion not only at the Lawton prison, but also at other correctional facilities like Mack Alford Correctional Center, Allen Gamble Correctional Center, and Dick Conner Correctional Center. These facilities house some of the most dangerous offenders in the state.
Dorothy’s son found himself behind bars at John Lilley Correctional Center, a minimum security prison in Boley, when the ordeal of extortion unfolded. It was in July 2022 when an alleged gang member issued a menacing threat, demanding a payment of $1,000, under the threat of harming her son.
In her haste, Cynthia purchased Green Dot cards and promptly sent the funds to the individuals extorting her.
Dorothy, a hardworking mother of four from New Mexico, has used Cash App to send over $8,000 since 2022. According to her, her son’s refusal to join a gang or engage in drug activities has made him a target.
One day last year, Dorothy found herself running out of money and unable to send the funds on time. Unfortunately, that very night, her son was stabbed.
How the Oklahoma Department of Corrections has investigated extortion complaints
Cynthia, Sylvia, and Dorothy took the initiative to report the extortion to various law enforcement agencies, ranging from local sheriff’s offices to the Department of Corrections and the FBI. However, identifying the individuals behind this illegal act is proving to be quite challenging.
The Oklahoma Department of Corrections’ Office of the Inspector General initiated an investigation after Cynthia lodged a complaint.
Cynthia acknowledged that her son is struggling with drug issues, but she expressed her dissatisfaction with the response, which seemed to imply that no gang member or inmate was involved. She shared that she felt completely abandoned in this situation.
Contraband cellphones at center of extortion cases are difficult to find, control
According to Jacob Wheeler, the Inspector General of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, contraband cell phones are the primary tool used by inmates to extort the family members of other inmates.
The Department of Corrections gathered a total of 5,247 of them in all its prisons in 2022.
Chuck Sullivan, the district attorney of Pittsburg County, where Oklahoma State Penitentiary is located, explained the various methods used to smuggle phones into the prison. He stated, “There are all kinds of threats and coercion to people bringing them in. Girlfriends on the outside are equipped to hide phones in body cavities and bring them in, and that’s what you see most often.”
Phones find their way into prisons through various illicit means. They are often smuggled in duffel bags that are thrown over fences into the prison yard. Additionally, drones are used to fly in phones secretly. In some cases, corrupt correctional officers are bribed to smuggle phones into the prison.
The Oklahoma Department of Corrections is unable to utilize cell phone jammers due to the ban imposed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Jammers, which have the ability to block all cell signals in their vicinity, are considered a threat to public safety as they can disrupt cell signals beyond their intended range.
Judge Urged to Prohibit Surprise Health Inspections at Oklahoma County Jail
In a recent development, a judge has been requested to ban surprise health inspections at the Oklahoma County jail. This plea comes after concerns were raised regarding the unexpected nature of these inspections and the impact they have on the overall functioning of the facility.
The request to disallow surprise health inspections is based on the argument that they disrupt the daily operations of the jail and create an environment of constant uncertainty. It is believed that these unannounced visits put additional pressure on the staff and hinder their ability to effectively carry out their duties.
Proponents of the ban argue that the surprise inspections do not provide an accurate representation of the conditions at the jail. They claim that the element of surprise prevents the staff from adequately preparing and addressing any potential issues that may arise during the inspection. They further contend that scheduled inspections would allow for better planning and ensure that the necessary resources are in place to address any concerns.
On the other hand, opponents of the ban argue that surprise inspections are necessary to ensure the safety and well-being of the inmates. They believe that unannounced visits provide a more realistic assessment of the conditions within the facility and prevent any attempts to cover up deficiencies.
The judge will now have to weigh the arguments presented by both sides and make a decision on whether to ban surprise health inspections at the Oklahoma County jail. This ruling will undoubtedly have significant implications for the future monitoring and regulation of the facility, as well as the welfare of the inmates housed there.
In 2020, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections initiated a pilot program for a cell phone detection wristband, as highlighted by Oklahoma Watch. However, the pilot faced challenges as gang members issued threats of physical harm to individuals wearing the wristbands.
According to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, staffing is another significant issue. In the past six years, Oklahoma has experienced a 45% decrease in correctional officers, despite a 20% decline in the inmate population.
According to Shad Hagan, a former case manager at Dick Conner Correctional Center, the prevalence of staffing issues makes it incredibly challenging for correctional officers to effectively monitor the influx of contraband.
According to records from the Department of Corrections, the number of correctional officers employed at Dick Conner Correctional Center in 2017 was 89. However, as of July, the staff count has decreased to 43. Despite this reduction, the facility is currently operating at 99% capacity, housing a total of 1,209 inmates.
New technology may help stop contraband cellphones
In 2021, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) introduced a viable alternative to jammers known as Contraband Interdiction Systems. These systems are designed to detect and disable illegal phones without interfering with the cell signals of phones outside the prison.
The Federal Communications Commission has granted authorization for the installation of advanced communication systems in two Oklahoma prisons, namely the Dick Conner Correctional Center and Oklahoma State Penitentiary.
According to Todd Craig, the former chief of security at the Federal Bureau of Prisons, implementing a contraband interdiction system can be quite costly, with prices ranging from $3 million to $4 million.
According to Craig, an expert in contraband interdiction systems, there is a lack of evidence proving that the SIM card detectors effectively reduce the number of phones entering prisons. Additionally, the department’s portable contraband interdiction system has limited monitoring capabilities, which hinders its ability to effectively track the flow of contraband.
According to Craig, the interdiction systems worth millions of dollars are the most efficient technology. However, states have been hesitant to implement them because of their expensive cost.
In a surprising move, South Carolina took a different approach in August by approving a $11 million budget to implement a cell phone interdiction system at multiple state prisons. This decision was the result of long-standing discussions and negotiations between the director of South Carolina’s Department of Corrections and various federal and state lawmakers.
Craig emphasized the importance of commitment from the director and their staff when working with external stakeholders to accomplish the task.
Cynthia, unfortunately, feels that the damage has already been done, despite the potential hope that technological advancements may bring.
This year, she found herself at a breaking point as her finances depleted. In February, she made the difficult decision to sell her retirement home in order to manage the mounting medical bills for her family. Adding to her already overwhelming situation, she was also being extorted from a prison located approximately 90 miles away.
As Cynthia dialed her son’s number through the prison phone, she was met with a cacophony of demands for money from the inmates in the background. Overwhelmed by the chaotic atmosphere, Cynthia made the decision to stop calling altogether.
For the past seven years, she hasn’t been able to embrace her son, and now she’s too frightened to even have a conversation with him. Her son is still accumulating debt, but she can no longer provide any assistance, as she fears it may put him in harm’s way. Each day, she lives in constant fear that he won’t survive.
She is afraid that if he undergoes the mental and physical abuse, it will transform him into a completely different person, someone she won’t be able to recognize anymore.
“He still retains his humanity,” she remarked, “but if he remains in that state for much longer, it will gradually fade away.”