Congrats if you had State Rep. Terry O’Donnell in your "Which Oklahoma Lawmaker Will Be Indicted Next?" betting pool!
On Friday, an Oklahoma County grand jury indicted O'Donnell and his wife for a variety of offenses related to some tag agency reforms he hammered through the legislature for the financial benefit of him and his family.
The indictments, which keep alive the proud Oklahoma tradition of shady lawmakers being exposed for being unscrupulous grifter fucks, include felony and misdemeanor charges of conspiracy, perjury, obtaining property by deception, and using computers to violate state law.
Here are some of the details via KFOR:
An Oklahoma State Representative and his wife were both indicted over alleged impropriety connected to a bill he authored in 2019, allowing family of legislators to be appointed to tag agencies...
The bill removed a longstanding rule that immediate family of legislators could not be appointed to tag agencies. It was signed into law in April 2019. Teresa O’Donnell was put in charge of the Catoosa Tag Agency in August 2019.
Prosecutors assert that Terry O’Donnell did not disclose a personal or private interest when submitting the bill, thus violating the state’s constitution, according to the indictment court document obtained by KFOR.
Geeze, what a moron! Why didn't O'Donnell just bribe one of his lawmaker buddies to author the law for him? That's how the law-making process is supposed to work, right? Gene Stipe must be turning in his grave right now.
This indictment isn't surprising, and not just because indictments of Oklahoma lawmakers are fairly common. Stormin' Nolan with The Oklahoman_ first exposed O’Donnell's tag agency sleaziness back in 2020. Since then, rumors have been circulating that Oklahoma County DA David Prater – a man who loves the spotlight – has been chomping at the bit to indict the putz.
As opposed to other times Prater has targeted politicians with indictments, there's a good chance this one sticks. In fact, it even appears Charles McCall, the Speaker of the House who creeps on moms at the grocery store, is throwing O'Donnell under the bus.
House Speaker Charles McCall pledged Saturday to continue to cooperate in the "legal process" after an Oklahoma County grand jury indicted fellow lawmaker Terry O'Donnell.
Grand jurors revealed in the indictment that McCall, R-Atoka, testified before them during their investigation...
“Certainly, every elected official should follow the law," McCall said Saturday. "I respect the law and legal process, and I will continue to cooperate as required with that process."
Maybe I'm just a cynical partisan edge lord, but the statement sure seems like code for "Holy shit! I better not get indicted just for being this guy's friend, looking the other way, and letting all this happen under my watch! I'll totally cooperate, Grand Jury!"
Even though the case seems pretty cut and dry, O'Donnell is maintaining his innocence. Here's what he had to say in a statement to The Oklahoman_:
In a statement Friday night, the legislator said "political operatives in Oklahoma City are using this to discredit our family's character and destroy our reputation as a personal vendetta against me."
"We will vigorously defend our integrity," he said.
Yep, the lawmaker who helped write and pass state laws to make it easier for his wife to take over her mom's lucrative and cushy tag agency will vigorously defend his integrity. Good to know.
Anyway, I guess we'll continue to follow and monitor this story. You can read the full indictment here. Also, don't forget to leave your new pick for "Who Will Be The Next Oklahoma Lawmaker To Be Indicted" in the comments.
Stay with The Lost Ogle. We'll keep you advised.
