Highway patrol captain indicted in blackmail scheme
An Oklahoma Highway Patrol captain has been indicted by the multi-county grand jury on a charge of blackmail.
Capt. Troy D. German was charged Thursday with extorting the commissioner of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety to gain a promotion or appointment to a state office.
Commissioner Rusty Rhoades told Highway Patrol investigators German threatened to release evidence of wrongdoing at the Highway Patrol if he didn't receive a political appointment or a promotion to major, according to a court affidavit.
He claimed to have six audio recordings on his personal iPhone that would implicate Rhoades, Highway Patrol Chief Michael Harrell and Capt. Brian Orr.
Attorney Mike Johnson said German “100 percent” denies any allegations of blackmail. He said German revealed corrupt practices and an unfair promotion system at the Highway Patrol.
Johnson called German "a whistleblower who exposed corruption at the highest levels at the highway patrol."
“This is nothing more than an unsubstantiated attack on his character that is not supported by any evidence," he said.
Rhoades, who also serves as the state secretary of safety and security, reported German contacted him three times threatening blackmail, according to the affidavit. They reportedly had three in-person meetings in which German made verbal and written attempts to extort the commissioner.
He met with Rhoades first at the Department of Public Safety, then at a Charleston's Restaurant in Oklahoma City and later at a Starbucks in Midwest City.
At Starbucks, German gave Rhoades a document outlining a timeline for a promotion to major, according to the affidavit. Rhoades read the note and gave it back before the meeting ended.
The affidavit indicates German also sought Rhoades' support for an appointment to director of the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management.
The Highway Patrol executed search warrants of German's iPhone and Apple user ID. The grand jury evaluated evidence in the case while convening Tuesday through Thursday and returned with an indictment.
Johnson said German has overwhelming evidence that he was trying to change the culture at the Highway Patrol in which “the good ol' boys were making sure their friends got promoted.”
“The fact that they are saying he committed blackmail is ridiculous when he's the one that blew the whistle on their corrupt practices,” Johnson said. “We look forward to presenting all of our evidence in front of an impartial jury because I doubt seriously that all the evidence was presented to the grand jury.”