Former Pittsburg County Judge Agrees To Terms For Conspiracy

A former Pittsburg County Special Judge has agreed to a deferred prosecution to avoid a trial for his part in a drug court embezzlement scheme.

According to a news release from Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt, William Layden Jr. was indicted in October 2011 by a Multicounty Grand Jury on a charge of conspiracy to defraud the state, after he interfered with a joint investigation into the Pittsburg County Drug Court.

The drug court coordinator, Angela Marcum, was indicted in June 2011 on charges of embezzlement and destroying records. She is awaiting trial.

Pruitt said as part of Layden's agreement, Layden agreed to pay more than $4,700 in restitution to the State Auditor and Inspector's Office to cover one-third of the cost of an audit by the agency.

He also agreed not to seek public or judicial office and to not violate any laws.

In his affidavit, Layden said he took steps to protect Marcum that he "should not have taken," which hampered investigations by the Oklahoma Multicounty Grand Jury, the state Auditor's Office and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

10/5/2011 Related Story: Pittsburg County Judge Indicted For Perjury