Two members of the Indian Brotherhood gang and a former prison guard were sentenced for their roles in running a drug ring from within the walls of the
Oklahoma State Penitentiary.
Cody Lee McClendon III, 36, was sentenced to 386 months after
pleading guilty to drug conspiracy and assault charges, the
U.S. Attorney's Office announced. He used a contraband cell phone to arrange the distribution and sale of the drug through phone calls, text messages and even Facebook, according to a
43-page indictment.
A fellow inmate and gang member, Michael Lincoln, 40, was sentenced to 330 months on a drug conspiracy charge. Federal authorities said he helped coordinate the sale of meth in northeastern Oklahoma.
Federal authorities said Cody McClendon and Michael Lincoln discussed the sale of drugs through these intercepted text messages. McClendon and Lincoln belong to the Indian Brotherhood gang. Image from US v. McClendon
Timothy Blayn Crocker, 25, was sentenced to 37 months on a conspiracy charge. He worked at the state penitentiary and provided McClendon and Lincoln with contraband items, including drugs, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
McClendon, who is a citizen of the
Cherokee Nation, was serving a 20-year sentence when Operation Home Of The Brave was announced in February 2016. A total of 18 co-defendants have been sentenced in connection with the ring.
The defendants are serving their sentences in federal prison.
Read More on the Story:
Local gang leader jailed for drug trafficking
(The Tahlequah Daily Press 6/2)
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