Former state Rep. agrees to pay House $10,000 in restitution
Former state Rep. Gus Blackwell is paying $10,000 in restitution to the state House to resolve a criminal case over his travel expenses during his final years at the Capitol.
Blackwell, R-Laverne, was accused in the criminal case filed in May with accepting state reimbursement and using campaign funds to pay for the same trips.
He had faced eight felony counts of perjury, four felony counts of making a false claim against the state, 13 felony embezzlement counts and 19 misdemeanor embezzlement counts.
On Wednesday, Blackwell, 61, pleaded guilty to a single felony perjury count after reaching a plea deal with prosecutors.
He admitted in the plea paperwork that his final campaign report was false.
Under the deal, he agreed to pay the restitution and to spend five years on probation. The type of probation is a suspended sentence, meaning he is considered a convicted felon.
Oklahoma County prosecutors, in turn, dropped the other counts against him. The outcome means he likely will not lose his state retirement.
Legislators who live outside the Oklahoma City area can get reimbursed from the state for travel to and from the Capitol for work. They also can use excess campaign funds to cover expenses related to their duties, such as travel to meet with constituents. They are not allowed, however, to collect mileage reimbursement from the state and use campaign funds for the same trips.
Blackwell served in the House for 12 years, leaving in 2014 because of term limits. He held leadership positions while at the Capitol that included House majority whip.
Still pending against Blackwell is a civil case filed by the Oklahoma Ethics Commission over his travel and campaign reports.
The Ethics Commission is asking that Blackwell be ordered to pay the state treasury at least $60,000 in civil penalties for violating ethics rules.
Blackwell had to wait in the back of the courtroom with other defendants for more than an hour Wednesday before it was his turn to appear before the judge.
He did not talk to news reporters as he left the courtroom after the sentencing.