Oklahoma’s Fisher Indicted Again

Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson announced that Insurance Commissioner Carroll Fisher was named in a Multicounty Grand Jury indictment unsealed in Oklahoma County District Court.

Fisher was indicted July 28 on one count of embezzlement for allegedly depositing a $1,000 campaign contribution into his personal bank account in May 2003 and spending that money on items not related to the campaign.

“Political candidates are required to deposit all campaign contributions in an account designated specifically for campaign contributions,” Edmondson said in the announcement. “The indictment alleges Fisher placed a $1,000 campaign contribution in his personal account and used the money for non-campaign related expenditures.”

According to the indictment, Fisher “did willfully, unlawfully and feloniously appropriate a $1,000 campaign contribution to his own use … by depositing the unreported campaign funds into his personal banking account and by using said funds for non-campaign expenditures.”

The Oklahoman reported that the $1,000 contribution came from Oxford, Miss., insurance agent Johnny Jordan Morgan.

Fisher reportedly made no comment after the indictment was unsealed by District Judge Jerry Bass, who entered a plea of innocent on Fisher’s behalf.

Fisher’s attorney, Irven Box, speculated that Fisher has not seen the end of investigations into his activities, according to the Oklahoman.

In his announcement Edmondson confirmed that suspicion.

“The grand jury is scheduled to reconvene Aug. 23,” Edmondson said. “Our investigation is ongoing.”

Fisher faces previous charges of failure to pay over money to the state, failure to register a non-exempt charitable organization, failure to report contributions to a non-exempt charitable organization and failure to provide and keep a copy of written receipts for charitable contributions. His preliminary hearing in that case is scheduled to continue in September.