By Emma Murphy, Oklahoma Voice
OKLAHOMA CITY — An Oklahoma City Democrat on Wednesday resigned effective immediately after pleading guilty to forgery-related charges.
Rep. Ajay Pittman, D-Oklahoma City, received a seven year deferred sentence and must pay restitution to a charitable organization in addition to the terms of a separate settlement agreement with the Ethics Commission. The separate settlement agreement Pittman entered into Tuesday requires she resign from office and bars her from holding public office for 15 years.
Pittman pleaded guilty Wednesday to multiple charges including conspiracy to commit a felony, forgery in the second degree, and violating the Oklahoma Computer Crimes Act, according to a news release from the Attorney General’s Office.
Pittman was first charged Wednesday with the crimes and appeared before an Oklahoma County District Court judge the same day to plead guilty.
She did not immediately return a request for comment, but in her resignation letter wrote that she chose to “step aside” after “careful consideration” because it is in the best interest of her district and “our great institution.”
“This decision will allow the House’s work to continue without distractions and ensure that the focus remains on the needs of Oklahoma’s people,” she wrote.
The Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office, which investigated Pittman, said she faced felony charges related to submitting a forged check to the Oklahoma Ethics Commission in an effort to avoid repaying funds to her campaign account.
“The scheme involved altering and creating a false $2,500 check and using a computer network to transmit the fraudulent document to state officials while representing it as genuine,” according to a statement from the Attorney General’s Office.
Pittman initially settled with the Ethics Commission in 2024 and was ordered to pay $35,000 for improperly using campaign funds for personal use. She failed to comply with the settlement agreement, leading to further investigation by the Ethics Commission, which eventually filed a separate civil lawsuit to recover damages.
The lawsuit alleged that Pittman had filed false documents in an effort to comply with her original settlement. Her Tuesday settlement agreement concludes this pending lawsuit, according to a news release from the Ethics Commission.
The Ethics Commission called their cases against Pittman the “most serious campaign finance enforcement matters in recent years.”
Lee Anne Bruce Boone, executive director of the Oklahoma Ethics Commission, said they coordinated closely with the Attorney General’s Office to “ensure full accountability under both civil and criminal law.”
“This case involved intentional misconduct and deception, not reporting errors or technical mistakes,” Bruce Boone said. “Campaign funds are not personal funds, and when an elected official deliberately abuses that trust, the Commission will pursue every appropriate remedy available under the law.”
The Ethics Commission settlement requires Pittman to repay the remaining civil penalty of more than $17,000 from the 2024 settlement and provide proof of compliance. It also bars her from running for public office in Oklahoma for the next 15 years, according to a copy of the settlement signed Tuesday.
House Minority Leader Cyndi Munson, D-Oklahoma City, said her caucus remains committed to accountability and transparency.
“While we believe everyone has the right to be presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law, with charges formally filed, we know that Rep. Pittman will no longer be able to serve the people of House District 99,” she said in a statement.
The House Democratic Caucus temporarily suspended Pittman’s caucus membership in October and she was also stripped of her committee assignments by chamber leadership.
“This conduct is unacceptable and falls well below the standard expected of anyone serving in the Oklahoma House of Representatives,” said Republican House Speaker Kyle Hilbert.
The governor has 30 days to set dates for a special election.
