The Multi-County Grand Jury has indicted three men for a scheme that allegedly enabled non-Oklahomans to illegally obtain commercial licenses for medical marijuana in the state.
Prosecutors allege Kevin Paul Pham, 47, and Alex Shiang Lin Chang, 48, paid Richard Gregorio Ignacio, 36, to serve as a “straw owner” for medical marijuana grow operations in Kingfisher County and elsewhere in the state, effectively serving as a front for outofstate individuals. Non-state residents cannot legally be licensed by the Oklahoma Medical Marijuana Authority or registered with the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (OBN).
The investigation was conducted by the OBN.
Attorney General Gentner Drummond said the charges in the case reflect his office’s commitment to enforcing Oklahoma’s criminal laws against those who allegedly exploit the state’s legalization of medical marijuana.
“We cannot and will not tolerate these illegal enterprises enriching themselves at the expense of rural Oklahoma,” said the Attorney General. “While there are many law-abiding participants in the state’s medical marijuana industry, law enforcement has seen an influx of others who are using the situation to supply black-market marijuana throughout the country. I am proud of the Multi-County Grand Jury, the Organized Crime Task Force and the state Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs — all of which are working diligently to rid Oklahoma of this criminal pestilence.”
Pham, Chang and Ignacio are charged with conspiracy against the state and a pattern of criminal offenses. Pham and Ignacio face six counts of filing a false or forged instrument, and one count of aggravated manufacturing of a controlled dangerous substance (marijuana).
Pham also faces one count of trafficking of a controlled dangerous substance in excess of 20 grams of methamphetamine, one count of possession of a controlled dangerous substance (marijuana) with the intent to distribute, one count of financial transactions involving proceeds of unlawful acts, and one count of possession of a firearm after former conviction of a felony.
Prosecution of the case, filed in Kingfisher County District Court, is being led by Assistant Attorney General Taylor Brown.