District 27 to Launch New Support Unit for Businesses

 District Attorney Jack Thorp speaking at Sallisaw's 

November Chamber of Commerce Meeting.

A new support arm for area businesses who fall victim to white collar crime or business fraud will launch after the first of the year, according to District 27 District Attorney Jack Thorp.

Thorp told members of the Sallisaw Chamber of Commerce during its monthly membership meeting Wednesday that they hope to launch the Business and Merchant Support Division as part of the district attorney’s office.

“We’ll have a white-collar crime division within the district attorney’s office,” Thorp explained. “We’re going to give more attention to these types of cases.”

Assistant District Attorney Jordan Pace, who works out of the Sallisaw District 27 office, will be over the new division. He said the division will target crimes against businesses.

“There’s a lot of crimes in Oklahoma that happen to mom and pop businesses – larceny, shoplifting, vandalism,” Pace said. “All of those are crimes that can affect the profitability of a business.”

Pace explained that the division will have options in order to be able to help right the businesses that have been wronged.

For example, if $4,000 worth of equipment is stolen from a business, and the convicted criminal is sentenced to five years in jail, the Business and Merchant Support Division will help streamline the process in order to get restitution to the business as quickly as possible.

“We want to do anything within our power to make sure your business succeeds,” Pace added. “We’ll do anything we can to support your business.”

Thorp said in addition to crimes against businesses, construction fraud and other business fraud directed at individuals will also be handled within the division.

“If we can help victims by using our authority and act as a deterrent to these individuals who are unscrupulous, maybe we can stop some of that home fraud, especially the elderly folks who seem to get ripped off at a higher level,” Thorp said.

Pam Cloud, Managing News Director

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