Man Sentenced in Murder for Hire Plot

ALVA MAN SENTENCED TO 87 MONTHS IN FEDERAL PRISON FOR INTERSTATE MURDER-FOR-HIRE PLOT

OKLAHOMA CITY – VERNON WAYNE BROCK, 71, of Alva, has been sentenced today to serve 87 months in federal prison and pay a $30,000 fine for hiring an individual to commit murder on the defendant’s behalf, announced U.S. Attorney Timothy J. Downing.

On April 17, 2019, Brock was indicted with using interstate commerce facilities to commit murder-for-hire. On November 6, 2019, Brock pled guilty to the one-count indictment, admitting to the use of interstate facilities with intent that murder be committed in exchange for payment.

According to court documents and public record, an individual from Kansas, whom Brock was trying to hire to commit murder, contacted the FBI and cooperated in the investigation.  Law enforcement determined Brock was upset with a former employee who refused to continue a sexual relationship with him.  Brock wanted the individual from Kansas to arrange the murder of the former employee’s boyfriend in Oklahoma City in exchange for $5,000.  He identified the boyfriend by sending a picture to the individual from Kansas.  FBI agents arrested Brock on the afternoon of April 3, with the assistance of the Woods County Sheriff’s Office, after Brock delivered a $5,000 check to the individual from Kansas.

Today, U.S. District Judge David L. Russell sentenced Brock to serve 87 months in federal prison, followed by three years of supervised release. In addition, Brock was ordered to pay a $30,000 fine.

This case is a result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation–Oklahoma City Field Office, Woodward Resident Agency.  Prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ashely Altshuler and Jason Harley, the case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), the centerpiece of the Department of Justice’s violent crime reduction efforts.  Through PSN, a broad spectrum of stakeholders work together to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in the community and develop comprehensive solutions.  As part of this strategy, PSN focuses on the most violent offenders and partners with local prevention and re-entry programs for lasting reductions in crime.