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Judge Blocks Attorney General's Move to Dissolve OkCity Crisis Nursery Amid Embezzlement Case
An Oklahoma County judge denied Attorney General Gentner Drummond's request to dissolve the OkCity Crisis Nursery, whose founder and staff are accused of stealing tens of thousands in charitable funds. The ruling leaves the nonprofit intact while the criminal case proceeds and the court weighs how its remaining assets should be distributed.
OKLAHOMA CITY â A judge has rejected Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond's attempt to dissolve the OkCity Crisis Nursery, the nonprofit at the center of a criminal case accusing its founder and several employees of diverting charitable donations for personal use.
The ruling, issued this week, keeps the organization legally intact even as prosecutors pursue felony charges against founder Jennifer Roberts and at least eight other employees. According to court documents, investigators identified more than $69,500 in personal expenses charged to the nursery's account, including vacations, hair appointments and aesthetic medical procedures.
Drummond had asked the court to dissolve the charity and transfer its assets to the YWCA of Oklahoma. The nursery opposed the move, arguing that existing laws and injunctions already prevent further misuse of funds. The organization also proposed distributing its remaining assets to other groups, including the Communities Foundation of Oklahoma and the Oklahoma County Diversion Hub.
Court documents indicate that state law does not give the nursery the authority to decide where its assets go, leaving that determination to the court.
Investigators allege Roberts moved more than $200,000 through Venmo and Cash App to other people who were later charged in the scheme. In one exchange cited in court filings, Roberts discussed buying prescription pills â hydrocodone-acetaminophen and Adderall â from her brother, Christopher Roberts, while soliciting donations. "I haven't gotten any new donations today and don't have any to give you for the others but I will as soon as I can," she wrote in a message included in the documents.
The OkCity Crisis Nursery had provided crisis care for children, and its clients have expressed outrage over the allegations. Drummond said his office intends to pursue convictions that could carry up to 10 years in prison for those involved.
The judge's decision not to dissolve the nonprofit means the criminal case will proceed while the court separately determines how the organization's remaining funds should be allocated. For donors and families who relied on the nursery's services, the ruling offers no immediate resolution â only the promise of further court proceedings and a criminal trial still to come.