Okmulgee Mayor Richard Larabee has submitted his resignation. It comes as he is at the center of a criminal investigation.
While no charges have been filed, Larabee is suspected of embezzlement. The allegations are not from the city, but from a private business where Larabee once worked. He is suspected of embezzling $150,000 from the McCullough Building Owners when he was a property manager there.
The Okmulgee Police Department has turned the case over to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.
In his resignation letter, Larabee mentioned the “allegations” against him, but did not refute them. He ended the letter by stating he would be praying for the council.
Larabee was elected to the council in 2018. He has been Okmulgee’s mostly ceremonial Mayor since 2020.