WATONGA – The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation announced Monday that it is digging deeper into an alleged fraud scheme that started with a Blaine County traffic stop in June.
The OSBI on Monday “served two search warrants on addresses in Oklahoma City” related to the case of Kody Finnell, 39, and Emily Hayward, 23, the bureau said in a press release. The two were stopped in Watonga early on June 29, and a search warrant revealed the vehicle held “nearly 300 stolen and fraudulent checks, more than 30 social security numbers belonging to others, 350 stolen credit cards, forged U.S. treasury checks, and numerous fake driver’s licenses.”
The Blaine County Sheriff’s Office, which made the stop, immediately suspected a major criminal operation. On July 1, it got the OSBI involved.
The OSBI’s investigation revealed that “the fraudulent documents were being used along the I-40 corridor in Western Oklahoma for months,” it said, “with multiple local agencies conducting their own investigations.”
The fraudulent documents were traced back to two locations in Oklahoma City, where authorities searched Monday.
“One warrant was served at an apartment complex located at 122nd and N. MacArthur,” the OSBI said, “and the second was served at the Morningside Storage facility also on N. Macarthur.”
No additional arrests were made Monday. The OSBI was assisted Monday by the Oklahoma City Police Department and the U.S. Secret Service.
Finnell and Hayward are facing “multiple felony counts,” the release says, including Use/Possession of License or ID Card, Conspiracy to Unlawfully Manufacture LIC/ID Card, and Unlawful Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
They remain in the Blaine County Jail.