Attorney General Drummond drops case against lawmaker, wife
Attorney General Gentner Drummond has dismissed all charges against Representative Terry O'Donnell, R-Catoosa, and his wife for allegedly using the House leader's power to change state law so she could become a tag agent.
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - Attorney General Gentner Drummond has dismissed all charges against Representative Terry O'Donnell, R-Catoosa, and his wife for allegedly using the House leader's power to change state law so she could become a tag agent, citing political motivations from the previous AG.
O'Donnell and wife, Teresa were indicted on multiple charges in 2021. The most serious charge they faced was conspiracy against the state, which carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and a $25,000 fine.
O’Donnell introduced a bill in 2019 that removed from state law a prohibition on the spouses of legislators serving as tag agents. Three months after Gov. Kevin Stitt signed the bill into law, the Oklahoma Tax Commission appointed Teresa O'Donnell to take over the Catoosa Tag Agency.
O’Donnell and his wife were accused of submitting a fraudulent application to the tax commission, which appoints the state’s more than 300 independent tag agents.
O’Donnell has denied wrongdoing. He stepped down from his position as No. 2 leader in the House last year after charges were filed, but was reelected in November and remains majority whip in the House.
Drummond took over prosecution in February 2023.
Now, in a letter to the lawmaker, Drummond has announced the decision to drop all charges.
"After a thorough review of the matter, I have concluded that former Attorney General Mike Hunter referred you for investigation not in the interest of serving justice, but for the purpose of political retribution," Drummond's letter states. "This is not to say that I find you blameless or endorse your conduct. I question your judgement in authoring legislation that resulted in a benefit for your family."
Read the full letter to O'Donnell below.
This is not the first time Drummond has disagreed with a decision by former AG Hunter.
In February, Drummond apologized to David Ostrowe, the governor's former secretary of digital transformation and technology, for his criminal indictment in 2020, saying he believes the secretary “committed no wrongdoing.”