Lawsuit accuses sheriffs of scheme against the poor

TULSA — Two national civil rights groups have joined a federal lawsuit against dozens of Oklahoma sheriffs, judges and court clerks.

Georgetown University's Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection and Civil Rights Corps joined an amended complaint filed late Thursday in Tulsa.

The lawsuit accuses the defendants of operating a debt-collection scheme that preys on poor people by sending them to jail if they can't pay court costs.

The plaintiffs want to stop any further arrests of indigent people until the case can go before a judge.

The initial lawsuit was filed in November.

The suit accuses the Oklahoma Sheriffs' Association, debt collection firm Aberdeen Enterprizes II and others of violating the Constitution by conspiring to collect court costs and unpaid fines without regard to a defendant's ability to pay.