Tulsa Woman Thankful After Winning Drug Charge Lawsuit

A Tulsa woman who was wrongfully sent to prison on a drug charge won her lawsuit against the federal government.

Larita Laird’s conviction was overturned after an ATF agent admitted he lied in order to send people to prison. Laird said she waited a long time to be vindicated and not only has her name been cleared, but a judge ordered the federal government to pay her almost $5 million.

"It's hard to describe the feeling knowing that I won and beat them. I fought them when people said there is no way I could do it," said Larita Laird.

Unlike many people, Laird’s time was spent with trials, appeals, and even served time for a crime she didn’t commit.

“I wasn't supposed to be home until 2016 and I've been home for over ten years," said Laird. "I felt like God had heard my prayers and let me go home to my children. Especially my children were mourning their brother. I was mourning my son," she said.

News On 6 first told you about Laird in 2009 when she was released from prison after serving nearly two years. Her son died while she was behind bars and wasn’t allowed to go to the funeral. Her attorney, Mark Lyons, said the anguish Laird’s family has been through is unimaginable.

"I knew that she was right. I knew that fundamentally she had been wronged and that this needed to be corrected. That's what did it,” said Lyons.

In the ten years since Laird’s been out of prison, she’s gotten married and now has grandchildren she gets to see grow up.

"She's the best mom there is, and she's been through so much. I just want to be able to see her get some kind of closure and healing,” said Laird’s daughter, Haley Clark.

“I want it to be over. I’m ready to close this chapter,” said Laird.