Inside Oklahoma's prison extortion gangs

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Pay or your son dies: Inside Oklahoma's grisly prison extortion gangs

Cynthia and her husband spent an ordinary day in December 2022 driving to their retirement home, planning to clean it out after the holidays.

Then, her phone buzzed.

“Where is my (expletive) money your son caught out owing me,” the text read. “I’ll send word wherever he goes if you try and call (a prison official) and tell on me. I want the 250 I’m owed or I’ma have him hurt.”

Cynthia faced a dilemma: pay or risk her son getting assaulted, maybe killed. Her son was imprisoned at the Lawton Correctional and Rehabilitation Facility at the time.

Read the full story here 🔗

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This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Inside Oklahoma's prison extortion gangs