OKLAHOMA CITY– A Yukon woman pleaded guilty Nov. 12 to federal program theft, U.S. Attorney Robert J. Troester announced.
According to Oklahoma Western District court records, Debra Kaye Lyons, 65, worked for 16 years for an Oklahoma City nonprofit organization.
Her employer, which is not identified in court records, conducted biomedical research into “a variety of human diseases” and “received millions of dollars in funding from the U.S. government each year through grants from the National Institutes of Health and other sources.”
During her employment at the nonprofit from 2007 to January 2023, Lyons was a telecommunications coordinator. She “administered the victim’s cellphone relationship with AT&T,” coordinating the purchase of mobile telephones and cell phone plans for the nonprofit’s employees, court records reflect. She was “the sole point of contact” between the nonprofit and AT&T.
In her guilty plea Lyons admitted that for a year, between Jan. 13, 2022, and Jan. 13, 2023, she stole “at least $5,000” from her employer. She used the nonprofit’s corporate account to buy mobile telephones that she resold “for her personal financial gain.”
Lyons was released from custody on a $5,000 unsecured bond while awaiting sentencing in Oklahoma City’s federal district court. She faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.