In Oklahoma, the leading cause of accidental death, traditionally, has been motor vehicle accidents. In recent years, accidental poisoning-largely from drug overdose-has challenged auto accidents as the top cause of unintentional death, but across most age groups, car...
Embezzlement is a white collar crime that can be charged as either a state crime or a federal offense depending upon who is the victim of the crime. In general, the state of Oklahoma will prosecute embezzlement that occurs within the borders of the state, unless the...
There are many mistakes people commonly make when filing a claim for Social Security Disability benefits, but not hiring an attorney may be the biggest mistake of all. With up to 75 percent of all applications for disability benefits initially denied, and with the...
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a program of the Social Security Administration (SSA) designed to provide benefits to American workers who have become temporarily or permanently disabled and are unable to work. Employees pay into Social Security through...
When a person is convicted of a felony, there are a number of collateral consequences in addition to the legal penalties of prison, fines, and probation. One of the most notable collateral consequences is the loss of a person’s right to possess a firearm...
With tax season in full swing and the filing deadline looming, the IRS is warning of email scams aimed at obtaining personal information from taxpayers for the purpose of identity theft. In the phishing schemes, people are sent emails that appear to be from the...
Earlier this month a Warr Acres man pleaded guilty in federal court to tax evasion after admitting to concealing income and establishing a shell corporation to avoid reporting payments from contractors on his tax return. Ricky A. Erwin agreed to pay $133,015 in...
An Owasso man was arrested this weekend after allegedly punching and choking his sister-in-law in a case that highlights some of the lesser-known details of Oklahoma’s domestic violence laws. Police say Michael Sean Graves, 39, and his wife attended a reception...
The types of criminal fraud prosecuted by the state and federal government are virtually endless. From low-level cons to multi-million Ponzi schemes, the ways in which one person may dupe another are virtually limitless. Fraud is considered a white collar crime, and...
Each year, more that 2.3 million people apply for Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits, and the majority of these applicants are initially denied. Approximately 30 percent of all applications–nearly 775,000 annually–are given technical denial for...
