OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Multi-County Grand Jury has indicted two Tulsa County residents and another individual in an alleged conspiracy to defraud the state involving illegal marijuana operations.
Prosecutors allege Kody Sumter, 34, recruited Oklahoma residents to serve as “straw owners” on licenses and registrations of medical marijuana grow businesses.
Sumter allegedly connected these residents to non-residents, charging non-residents a fee that was used partially to pay the residents for use of their information.
In the past, such schemes were implemented to go around residency requirements for medical marijuana grow licensing.
In addition to Sumter, the grand jury indicted Michael Dudek, 35, and Dengfeng Huang, 44, for knowingly providing fraudulent documentation and information to obtain medical marijuana licensing and registration.
The indictments indicated Sumter paid Dudek to be a straw owner to Seminole County marijuana grow operation and connected Dudek to a nonresident.
In a separate instance, Sumter allegedly …