A former Muskogee city employee, John Paul Cruz Rosado, has been sentenced to serve two concurrent prison terms of 135 months each for his involvement in federal drug crimes. Cruz Rosado, aged 45, was sentenced on April 10, 2025, for one count of distribution of cocaine and one count of possession with intent to distribute cocaine. The sentence outcome was shared by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
The investigation that led to Cruz Rosado's arrest was conducted by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, with help from the Zanesville, Ohio Police Department. Cruz Rosado, who was previously the Director/Event Manager for the Muskogee Civic Center, admitted guilt on July 24, 2024. He confessed to distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine. Initial evidence came into play on November 29, 2023, when he illegally sold around ten ounces of cocaine. Subsequently, a search of his Muskogee home on December 6, 2023, by law enforcement yielded over nine pounds of cocaine, along with scales, baggies, cash, firearms, and additional materials pointing to drug trafficking activities.
OBN Director Donnie Anderson expressed gratitude to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for its cooperation in ensuring a significant sentence, stating, “OBN is grateful to our partners with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for helping secure a significant sentence in this case.” Anderson further highlighted the growing cocaine distribution problem in Oklahoma and its dire consequences, noting, “Cocaine distribution is on the rise across Oklahoma, leading to increased overdoses and deaths in recent years. My agency is committed to stopping those who are profiting while putting Oklahoma lives at risk.”
United States Attorney Christopher J. Wilson praised the efforts of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics, stating, “I commend the work of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Narcotics in dismantling Cruz Rosado’s cocaine distribution operations, and taking a drug dealer off the streets.”
The sentencing hearing was overseen by the Honorable John F. Heil, III, U.S. District Judge at the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma. Following the ruling, Cruz Rosado remains in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service and awaits transportation to a designated facility where he will serve his non-paroleable sentence.
The case for the United States was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Cornell.