Lawmakers call for accountability after House Democrat accused of fraud
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - House Democrat Representative Ajay Pittman is at the center of calls for accountability after the Ethics Commission filed a lawsuit and accused her of fraud on Thursday.
Officials conducted a search warrant at her State Capitol office on Thursday. A spokesperson for the Attorney General’s office says the warrant is under seal; however, a spokesperson with the Oklahoma Democratic Party confirmed to News 4 that the warrant was served in relation to an ethics investigation.
Rep. Pittman had reached a settlement agreement with the Oklahoma Ethics Commission in 2024 over multiple violations of campaign finance rules. She was ordered to pay $35,000 in fines and reimbursements.
The lawsuit filed revealed more than that.
Allegedly, Rep. Pittman paid $5,000 in August of 2024, and in January 2025, she had submitted a copy of a check for $2,500.
However, recently, the commission found that the check wasn't actually paid into the campaign account she was supposed to pay it to.
Eventually, Pittman had asked the commission for extensions to the repayments, and the commission agreed.
They had gotten a letter that was signed by Pittman's campaign office building manager, stating that the building had water and mold damage before the allegations. The manager had alluded that campaign finance documents could have been destroyed because of the damage.
The building located at 4801 North Classen has been torn down, but the ethics commission said that the manager didn't send the letter. Instead, they allege that Pittman's mother, former state senator Anastasia Pittman, wrote it.
"We were blindsided by all of this," said Representative Forrest Bennett (D-OKC).
Several lawmakers came out with statements in regards to Pittman's allegations.
“The allegations against Rep. Ajay Pittman are very serious. I fully condemn these actions if proven. Elected officials, regardless of their political party, should be held to the highest standard. Clear corruption allegations among government officials break the public's trust in us and in our ability to work for them. I support law enforcement investigations on these serious allegations. We must all do better to hold ourselves accountable and avoid even the appearance of corruption so we can put people over politics,” said Sen. Julia Kirt (D-Oklahoma City).
On the republican side, House Speaker Kyle Hilbert stated that Pittman had been removed from her Tribal-State Committee.
"Yesterday, the Attorney General’s Office confirmed an investigation into serious allegations involving Rep. Pittman. While that investigation remains ongoing, the recent findings from the Ethics Commission make it inappropriate for her to continue serving in a role overseeing State-Tribal relations. Therefore, I have removed Rep. Pittman from the State-Tribal Relations Committee, effective immediately."
"These are serious allegations. And I'm hoping that everyone will cooperate fully. You know, we have this public trust. And once you lose that, it's hard to gain it back," said Bennett.
News 4 reached out several times since Thursday for a statement or interview with Rep. Pittman, but we haven't heard back. News 4 also reached out to former Senator Pittman on Friday, but never heard back.