McAlester woman sentenced to federal prison
May 17—A McAlester woman was sentenced to federal prison for her role in a multi-state methamphetamine ring.
Amber Nicole Woodmore, 31, was indicted along with 11 others in the Eastern District of Oklahoma in January 2020 on counts of drug conspiracy, money laundering conspiracy, and laundering monetary instruments
According to a plea agreement, Amber Woodmore was sentenced to 12 and a half years in the custody of the U.S. Bureau of Prisons along with five-years of supervision after her release.
The charges of money laundering conspiracy and laundering monetary instruments were dismissed against the woman as part of the plea deal.
Woodmore was accused of transferring $800 to a woman in Desert Hot Springs, California where packages containing quantities of methamphetamine, marijuana, and other controlled substances would be sent using a false name to addresses in McAlester.
According to the indictment, a total of 12 people from Pittsburg and Haskell Counties allegedly ran a large-scale drug ring that transported methamphetamine from California via mailed packages and wired money back to a supplier in California with money exchanging taking place across a variety of mediums, ranging from bank transfers to Walmart MoneyGram transfers from locations in McAlester, according to federal court documents.
Amber Woodmore was indicted in January 2020 in connection to the drug ring along with Kimberly Diana Noel, of Desert Hot Springs, California; Early Willard Woodmore III, of Quinton; Calvin James Woodmore, of McAlester; Dennis Clyde Marshall Jr., of McAlester; Prentice Roland Keith, of Kinta; Jimmie Ray Stephens, of Lewisville; Tiffany Ann-Meeks Davis, of McAlester; Valerie Adcock, of Quinton; Michael Dewane Hunt, of Kinta; and Janet Sue Troutt, of Rogers, Arkansas.
Haskell County Sheriff Tim Turner said in a 2020 press conference the 12 were leadership of the "Woodmore Organization," which he linked to violent crimes in Haskell County.
Early Willard Woodmore III and Calvin James Woodmore were each found guilty of multiple crimes related to distributing methamphetamine and other drugs through the U.S. Postal Service following a trial earlier this year. Both men are facing up to life in federal prison and will be sentenced at a later date.
The remaining codefendants have all accepted plea deals in relation to the indictments filed against them.
Officials said the investigation took nearly two years and involved cooperation from several agencies — including the Drug Enforcement Administration, Haskell County Sheriff's Office, the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics, the District 18 District Attorney's Drug Task Force, the Internal Revenue Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, the National Guard Counterdrug Task Force, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Pittsburg County Sheriff's Office, the McAlester Police Department, and the Stigler Police Department. The investigation was part of and included members of the DEA High Intensity Drug Trafficking Task Force.
Contact Derrick James at djames@mcalesternews.com
