For the first time, the public is hearing some of the dozens of jailhouse phone calls made by convicted Oklahoma restaurant owner Brent Swadley. The recordings reveal references to political connections and talk of moving out of the country, and they have drawn the attention of the state attorney general's office, which has been combing through the conversations for material relevant to his case.
Audio from about 80 phone calls linked to Swadley from behind the jail walls has emerged, along with transcriptions flagged by the attorney general's office. Out of more than 80 calls and roughly eight hours of conversation, several stood out, most of them exchanges between Swadley and his wife, and legal experts say those conversations could be used against him in court.
The calls also offer a glimpse of life behind bars at the Oklahoma County Detention Center, which Swadley described as a difficult adjustment. He called the experience miserable, complaining that the food was the worst in the world and that there were bugs, painting a bleak picture of his day to day conditions inside the facility while he waits for the next stage of his case.
Legal expert Irvin Box said the conversations could hurt Swadley's chances of getting out on bond during the appeals process. As a prosecutor would, Box explained, the attorney general is likely to argue that Swadley is a flight risk, pointing to his own recorded words about selling his multi-million dollar business and moving his whole family to Jamaica.
Several of the calls that caught the attorney general's attention involved mentions of political figures, including Governor Kevin Stitt, United States Senator James Lankford and Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Mazie. In one exchange, Swadley spoke of having worked with Lankford and said he had worked for Stitt more than for any of the others he named.
Swadley's wife repeatedly tried to rein him in during the recorded calls, reminding him to be careful about what he said. At one point she told him not to talk about the court case because it was being recorded, and he agreed that he did not want to discuss it. Box suggested Swadley appeared to be counting on his acquaintances among politicians, adding that it would not totally surprise him if Stitt were to pardon Swadley somewhere down the line.
The people around the officials named in the calls pushed back firmly. Representatives for Governor Stitt and Senator Lankford said they have never spoken to Swadley, and Mazie's campaign said that Mike Mazie has never met him. For now, the recordings hang over the proceedings, with Swadley's appeal bond hearing set for July 2nd, when a court will weigh whether he should remain behind bars.