OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A two-term Republican state senator who is under investigation for embezzlement at the nonprofit agency where he once worked has entered into a settlement agreement over allegations he improperly used campaign funds.
The Oklahoma Ethics Commission voted unanimously on Friday to approve the agreement with state Sen. Rick Brinkley of Owasso.
According to Brinkley's campaign finance reports, he paid nearly $50,000 in campaign funds earlier this year to the Better Business Bureau in Tulsa, where Brinkley is accused in a lawsuit of embezzling more than $1.8 million. He has not been charged.
Under the agreement, Brinkley agrees to forfeit the balance of his campaign account, about $81,000.
Brinkley has submitted his letter of resignation and plans to step down from his state Senate post at the end of the year.