Two Local Men Indicted For Carjacking, Obstruction Of Justice, And Discharging A Firearm |
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U.S. Attorney’s Office
Northern District of Oklahoma
8 March 2018
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Today, United States Attorney Trent Shores announced that a Federal Grand Jury indicted MICHAEL W. NEWLIN, 18, of Owasso, and BRANDON MENDINGHALL, 23, of Stillwater, for their alleged roles in a December carjacking and obstruction of justice that involved evading and shooting at a Tulsa Police Officer. This indictment is part of the United States Justice Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods national initiative to combat gun violence and violent crime.
“If you commit a federal crime and then shoot at a police officer, you can expect to meet a federal prosecutor in the courtroom,” stated U.S. Attorney Shores. “We will aggressively pursue violent criminals in our district, especially those who would further imperil the lives of the men and women sworn to protect our community. I am thankful that the officers made it home safely in this case.”
The Grand Jury alleged the defendants committed the following federal crimes:
Count 1: Conspiracy to Carry, Brandish and Use a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence; Count 2: Carjacking; Counts 3 and 5: Carrying, Brandishing, and Using a Firearm in Relation to a Crime of Violence; Count 4: Obstruction of Justice by Threatening Physical Force Against a Witness; Count 6: Conspiracy to Obstruct an Officer by Killing a Witness; Count 7: Obstruction of Justice by Attempting to Kill a Witness; and Count 8: Carrying, Using, and Discharging a Firearm in Relation to a Crime of Violence.
Count 1: Not more than 20 years imprisonment if convicted of Conspiracy to Carry, Brandish and Use a Firearm During and in Relation to a Crime of Violence; Count 2: Not more than 15 years imprisonment if convicted of Carjacking; Count 3: Not less than 7 years imprisonment up to life imprisonment, to run consecutively to any other sentence, if convicted of Carrying, Brandishing, and Using a Firearm in Relation to a Crime of Violence; Count 4: Not more than 20 years imprisonment if convicted of Obstruction of Justice by Threatening Physical Force Against a Witness; Count 5: Not less than 25 years imprisonment up to life imprisonment, to run consecutively to any other sentence, if convicted of Carrying, Brandishing, and Using a Firearm in Relation to a Crime of Violence; Count 6: Not more than 30 years imprisonment if convicted of Conspiracy to Obstruct an Officer by Killing a Witness; Count 7: Not more than 30 years imprisonment if convicted of Obstruction of Justice by Attempting to Kill a Witness; Count 8: Not less than 25 years imprisonment up to life imprisonment, to run consecutively to any other sentence, if convicted of Carrying, Brandishing, and Using a Firearm in Relation to a Crime of Violence; and All convictions for the charged offenses carry a fine not to exceed $250,000.