OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A Republican state senator at the center of an embezzlement investigation at the nonprofit agency where he once worked has stepped down from his leadership positions in the Senate.
Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman announced on Monday that Republican Sen. Rick Brinkley of Owasso resigned as assistant majority floor leader, chairman of the Senate Pensions Committee and vice chairman of the Senate Finance Committee.
The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation is looking into allegations that funds have been misappropriated at the Better Business Bureau in Tulsa, where Brinkley worked for 15 years before he was fired in April.
The BBB alleged in a lawsuit last week that Brinkley embezzled more than $1 million from the organization.
Brinkley has declined to comment on the allegations, citing the ongoing criminal investigation.