OKC Woman, Tonya Gay Gum, Admitted Child Sex Trafficker

Name: Tonya Gay Gum (maiden name McCurdy, alias 'Carmen' or 'Lisa').   DOB: 1/1/1973   Gender: Female   Race: Black   

Address as of Aug. 14, 2016: 5841 NW 88th Street, OKC, OK 73132 (less than 1,000' from Hefner Middle School).

Criminal Charges: Federally indicted on Jun. 16, 2015 for facilitating the sexual trafficking of children (ages 14 and 15 years old).

Status: On Nov. 18, 2015 Gum pleaded guilty and is currently awaiting sentencing.

Timeline:

• 08/14/2016 - KWTV News9 interviews JohnTV's Brian Bates regarding the Tonya Gum criminal charges and his latest flier distribution efforts. (link)
• 08/09/2016 - JohnTV's Brian Bates distributes fliers in Tonya Gum's new neighborhood. Gum is now living in a home that is less than 1,000' from Hefner Middle School.
• 08/04/2016 - A federal judge allows Tonya Gum to fire her current lawyer and is provided with a new lawyer. Gum's motion to withdraw her guilty plea is stricken (to most likely be refiled by her new lawyer).
• 07/07/2016 - Tonya Gum files a motion on her own behalf to withdraw her guilty plea and to fire her tax payer provided lawyer.
• 03/03/2016 - Federal judge denies prosecutor's motion to preclude mistake of age defense or arguments about 'lack of knowledge' as to the three remaining male co-defendants. (this means the male co-defendants ['Johns'] can claim they did not have reasonable opportunity to observe and know the girls they paid to have sex with were juveniles.
• 12/04/2015 - Co-defendant Russell Ehrens, 55, was acquitted at trial of his child sex trafficking charges. Defense attorneys successfully argued that Ehrens did not have reasonable opportunity to observe the girls he paid to have sex with and did not know they were children. The law at the time required a reasonable opportunity to observe.
• 12/02/2015 - Tonya Gum violated her home detention by "traveling to a gym and staying for approx. one hour during a youth basketball practice." Gum was only given a verbal reprimand.
• 11/19/2015 - Tonya Gum waives her right to a jury trial and enters a plea of guilty to count one - conspiracy to commit child sex trafficking.
• 07/22/2015 - JohnTV's Brian Bates distributes flier's in Tonya Gum's current neighborhood - putting neighbors on notice of Gum's presence and allegations against her. Bates is interviewed by KWTV News9 regarding this effort. (link)
• 07/17/2015 - JohnTV's Brian Bates is interviewed by KFOR News Ch4 regarding the Tonya Gum child sex trafficking case. (link)
• 07/17/2015 - Department of Justice issues a press release regarding the child sex trafficking charges against Tonya Gum and her four male co-defendants ('Johns') (link).
• 7/16/2015 - Order setting conditions of Tonya Gum's release to await trial. Placed on house arrest with an ankle monitor and released on an unsecured $5,000 appearance bond.
• 6/16/2015 - Tonya Gum and four male co-defendants ('Johns') are federally indicted for their participation in the sex trafficking of 14 and 15 year old girls.
• 10/2014 - Tonya Gum engaged in child sex trafficking by conspiring with two pimps, sex offender Maurice Morlee Johnson and convicted rapist Hiram Mitchell III, to provide multiple 'Johns' with two girls (ages 14 and 15) for commercial sex.

Details: (last updated 8/15/2016) Sanford Coats, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Oklahoma, announced that Tonya Gay Gum, 42, was the head of a criminal organization that sold girls as young as 14 and 15-years old to ‘Johns’ seeking sex locally.

KFOR News Channel 4's Abby Broyles interviewed JohnTV's own Brian Bates about the case, back in July of 2015...

According to court records, Gum maintained numerous ads in the Oklahoma City Yellow Pages phone book for escort services she operated. At least 20 telephone numbers appearing in numerous prostitution related ads have been linked back to Gum.

The identified phone numbers and business names include;

• A Able Angel – 405-948-1533
• A Dark Star – 405-634-8880
• A Latin Amore – 405-321-1582
• A Midnight Fantasy – 405-799-1895
• A Spicy Temptation – 405-720-2422
• Absolute Angels – 405-292-5580
• After hour Fantasy 405-321-2710
• Always Ready 405-672-5252
• An Asian Party 405-844-2666
• Asian Delights 405-685-0110
• Baywatch Beauties 405-235-1556
• Blonde Bombshells 405-787-9111
• Bored Girlfriends 405-292-3019
• Cherry Delite 405-341-2928
• Daytime Dolls 405-376-5755
• Desires Over 30 405-732-4320
• Gals Gone Wild 405-782-0877
• Ladies by Mercedes 405-946-0440
• Peaches & Cream Internationals 405-793-8088
• Private Parties 405-949-2333

Prosecutors allege that Gum was not your typical pimp or sex trafficker. Gum acted as a middleman – maintaining relationships with numerous pimps and sex traffickers in and around Oklahoma City.

Investigators detail how Gum’s criminal organization worked;

“When a prospective customer calls one of [Gum’s] phone numbers, [Gum] arranges a date for that customer based on the customer’s preferences. Much like a dispatcher. [Gum] contacts an escort that fits the customer’s preferences. [Gum] negotiates the length of time, price, and location for a commercial sex transaction with the customer and coordinates with the escort and/or her pimp for availability and scheduling.

After [Gum] has arranged the logistics, the escort’s pimp drives the escort to the customer’s home or a predetermined location for the date, and the escort calls [Gum] to confirm her arrival and start the clock. The pimp waits outside. [Gum] then calls the escort at the end of the agreed upon time period and instructs her to conclude the date.

At the conclusion of the date, the escort leaves the residence or hotel room or commercial space of the customer and calls [Gum] from the car of her pimp to confirm location for the money drop. The pimp then drives the escort to the money drop location, where the escort personally delivers [Gum’s] share of the commercial sex fee to [Gum.] The remaining proceeds are given to the pimp, who controls, secures, guards, maintains, harbors, feeds, and clothes the escort.”

This case is reported to be the result of an investigation by the Department of Homeland Security and the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics (Human Trafficking Unit).

Court records give no specifics as to how Gum’s alleged child sex trafficking organization was discovered or infiltrated. However, court documents hint that a previously arrested pimp and his prostitute may have given up Gum in an effort to reduce their own criminal charges and/or punishment.

In early Oct. 2014 two known pimp/traffickers, felon Maurice Morlee Johnson (a registered sex offender) and felon Hiram Mitchell III (convicted rapist), and an adult prostitute (later identified as a human sex trafficking victim), recruited two juvenile females (14 and 15 years old) to prostitute for them. The juveniles are only identified by their birth years (2000 and 1999) and the initials R.W. and M.M. Johnson, Mitchell and the adult female prostitute had allegedly conducted prostitution related business with Gum in the past.

On Oct. 9, 2014, at around 2:23am, the adult female prostitute sent Gum a partially nude photo of their 14-year old victim (and two other girls) and the two had the following text message exchange;

Gum: What names do you all go by?

Adult Prostitute: Red, Sweet Tea, Goddess.

Gum: I will put you all on. Whenever [I] get a call I will call you.

Adult Prostitute: Thank you. Turn us on.

Gum: Ok, is the white girl in the red skirt?

Adult Prostitute: No, she in a call. She will be out in a minute. Yes.

Gum: Are you all on.

Adult Prostitute: Yes.

Gum: Ok, great, I will start calling regulars.

Adult Prostitute: Ok, thank you.

Tonya Gum and four of her male customers ('Johns') were federally indicted in Jun. of 2015 for their alleged participation in the sex trafficking of two young girls in Oklahoma City. All five were federally charged with conspiracy to commit child sex trafficking and child sex trafficking.

If convicted, each defendant faces up to life in prison and a $250,000 fine.

At the time that Gum was criminally charged, she was renting a house at 6300 Whispering Grove Drive in OKC. Gum resides with her felon husband Douglas 'Doug' Gum (of Gum Construction). 

JohnTV is told that Tonya Gum has at least three children that may or may not be residing with her - two are said to be young twin boys.

JohnTV spoke to Gum's landlord by phone and was told that the Gum's were served with eviction papers the day after authorities served a search warrant on the home.

Gum, who was released from federal custody on house arrest, was ordered to wear an ankle monitor.

In July of 2015, before Gum could move, JohnTV's Brian Bates distributed fliers in her Bentwood Creek neighborhood alerting Gum's neighbors of her presence and alleged crimes.

KWTV News 9's Lisa Monahan reported on Bates' flier distribution...

On Nov. 18, 2015, Gum pleaded guilty to child sex trafficking. Gum was allowed to remain out of custody awaiting sentencing while she also prepared to testify against her four male co-defendants.

On Dec. 2, 2015 Gum violated her house arrest by intentionally going to a gymnasium where a youth basketball game was being played. Gum was merely given a verbal reprimand for her blatant violation of the terms of her house arrest.

Gum then moved to her current residence (as of 8/14/2016) at 5841 NW 88th Street in NW Oklahoma City. Gum is renting her current residence with her husband. The house is less than 1,000' from Hefner Middle School - which is filled with students the same age as the young girls she has admitted to selling for sex.

On July 7, 2016 Gum asked a federal judge to allow her to fire her current defense lawyer and withdraw her guilty plea.

Below is Gum's handwritten confession as she submitted to a federal judge...

While Gum was allowed to get a new lawyer, her motion to withdraw her guilty plea was dismissed - to most likely be refiled by her new lawyer.

On Aug. 9, 2016, JohnTV's Brian Bates distributed fliers in Gum's new neighborhood. KWTV News9's Lisa Monahan once again reported on Bates' efforts...

JohnTV will continue to follow this case.

Additional Resources:

Media Coverage:

• 7/17/2015 – KFOR Ch4 – Prosecutors: Oklahoma woman used Yellow Pages to run prostitution ring. LINK
• 7/18/2015 – NewsOK.com – Five OKC residents accused of child sex trafficking crimes. LINK
• 7/22/2015 – KWTV Ch9 – OKC woman accused of running child sex trafficking ring. LINK
• 8/14/2016 - KWTV Ch9 - Accused child sex trafficker now living near a school. LINK

Additional Links:

• Department of Justice press release regarding Tonya Gum's criminal charges. LINK
• The Wyoming Secretary of State has a record showing a Tonya G. Gum as a ‘manager’ for a business filing for Oklahoma City Entertainment, LLC from 3/10/2006. LINK
• Tonya Gay Gum received a traffic violation in Jan. of 2015 for “failure to protect a child under 13 with a seat belt” and listed her home address as 6300 Whispering Grove Dr. in Oklahoma City. LINK
• Tonya G. Gum and Douglas R Gum are currently listed as the owners of a $42,000 home in the 3600 block of SE 15th in Del City, OK. LINK County information lists the contact information for the address as the same address listed above (#2) on Whispering Grove Dr.
• Tonya G. Gum and Douglas R Gum were listed as the owners of a $420,000 home in the 8100 block of NW 129TH PL in Oklahoma City that was repossessed in 2007-2010. LINK
• Tonya G. Gum and Douglas R Gum are both listed as previous owners of a $175,000 property in the 2700 block of NW 45th in Oklahoma City that appears to have fallen into foreclosure. LINK
• Tonya G. Gum and Douglas R Gum are both listed as previous owners of a $50,000 property in the 3800 block of SE 26th in Del City, OK that appears to have fallen into foreclosure. LINK
• Tonya G. Gum and Douglas R Gum are both listed as previous owners of a $86,000 property in the 4300 block of SE 42nd in Del City, OK that appears to have fallen into foreclosure. LINK
• Tonya G. Gum and Douglas R Gum are both listed as previous owners of a $45,000 property in the 3900 block of Teal Dr. in Del City, OK that appears to have fallen into foreclosure. LINK
• In 2006 a Tonya G. Gum was granted a divorce from Douglas R Gum. However, just one month laster the couple was granted an order vacating and setting aside their divorce decree. LINK
• In 2013 Dealers Finance Co, LLC sued a Tonya Gum in Oklahoma County and was awarded monetary judgement. LINK