MIAMI, Okla. — Ottawa County District Attorney Doug Pewitt filed an application to accelerate a deferred judgment against Diahann Wiford, who is currently under investigation by the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office for allegedly defrauding consumers.
Wiford, 51, of Miami, appeared in Ottawa County Court on Monday where she received a court-appointed attorney. The motion to accelerate the deferred judgment is in connection with two felony cases for writing hot checks in Oklahoma.
Decades of financial trouble haunt Oklahoma travel agency, leaving consumers wary In both of those felony cases, Wiford who went by the name of Diahann Rae Cott-Brumley, pleaded guilty in July 2017 in Ottawa County District Court to obtaining cash or merchandise by bogus check or false pretenses, a felony. She received a 10-year deferred sentence in both cases.
The bail for violating her deferred judgments is $10,000 on each motion, court records show.
Miami travel agency owner jailed on outstanding Missouri warrant Court records show Wiford has legally used the last names of Cott, Click, Brumley, Minson and Riefle.
She remains in the Ottawa County jail on a Taney County outstanding warrant.
She allegedly violated her probation after failing to appear in Taney County, Missouri on four bogus check charges in Jan. 2018, according to the application to accelerate the deferred sentence.
Court records show from November 6, 2010, to November 22, 2010, Wiford, using the name Diahann Cott, passed 18 checks totaling $2,043.33, but was charged in Taney County for passing three bad checks for $73.64, $103.09 and $64.41, all drawn upon a nonexistent bank account with Regions Bank.
Another Oklahoma probation violation against Wiford is for not paying $3,241.60 for fines and costs, the motion states.
Wiford is already in hot water with the Oklahoma Attorney General’s office.
Wiford and her husband, Kenny, are owners of the Miami-based Wiford Tour and Travel. The agency is the subject of a Miami Police Department investigation where customers purchased trips and vacations through the travel agency and allegedly never received their tickets. Other business names used were Wiford Travel and KenDi Wiford.
Previous attempts to reach Wiford were unsuccessful, but on a social media post under the name Wiford Bus Tours, Wiford denied any wrongdoing saying “that at no point did we act with malice or intent to harm anyone.”
Her business, Wiford Tour and Travel has been registered with the Oklahoma Secretary of State since Nov. 2023 and Wiford Travel since April 2024. She has also operated businesses under the names of Cheap Branson Fun, Christian Travel, and Galaxy Christian Ministry.
“We are delivering almost 700 complaints to the AG’s office today,” said Miami Police Chief Thomas Anderson.
This is not the first time, Wiford has had financial troubles.
Wiford was on federal probation for finding a way around a Buffalo Run Casino’s card system defrauding the casino out of $193,000 worth of free gambling cards.
In 2015, North Dakota Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem issued a cease-and-desist order against Wiford for violating North Dakota’s home solicitations sales law, consumer fraud laws and Do Not Call laws. She would make telephone calls offering cheap vacations if the consumer would attend a timeshare seminar and pay a $99 attendance fee, according to the nine-page order.
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