State Senator From Owasso Resigns Amid Embezzlement Investigation

A Republican state senator under investigation for embezzlement at the nonprofit agency where he once worked plans to resign from the chamber.

A spokesman for Republican Senate President Pro Tem Brian Bingman, Matt Glanville, says two-term Sen. Rick Brinkley of Owasso submitted a letter of resignation on Friday. Glanville says Brinkley will step down from the Senate's District 34 seat on Dec. 31. He says the letter cites only personal reasons.

Brinkley will step down with about three years remaining in his four-year term. Brinkley was first elected to the Senate in 2010 and was unopposed for re-election in 2014. He was the pastor of a Collinsville church.

A lawsuit filed by the Better Business Bureau in Tulsa alleges Brinkley embezzled more than $1 million from the organization to pay his mortgage and "support a hidden gambling habit."

Read The Full Petition

BBB Statement On Petition

6/2/2015 Related Story: Tulsa BBB Cooperating With OSBI Investigation Involving State Senator