State Auditor Completes Forensic Audit Of Former District Attorney’s Finances

Allan Grubb, the former district attorney of Pottawatomie and Lincoln counties, resigned in 2022 after the state's multicounty grand jury accused him of habitual neglect of duty, oppression in office, and corruption.

The State Auditor and Inspector has been investigating the financial state of the office under Grubb’s leadership since February 2022.

Grubb took office in 2019. The report indicates the district’s budgetary deficit increased under his administration "due to the hiring of additional employees." Auditors found the office averaged 8-12 more employees compared to the previous administration, which had increased payroll costs.

Grubb’s failure to pay down the district’s deficit led to the requested audit, with questions surrounding the legitimacy of partial payments made to the District Attorney's Council. The request asked for a review of whether Grubb was misusing funds that District 23 had collected from drug asset forfeitures.

Other accusations centered around Grubb's use of "secretive deals" known as deferred prosecution agreements (DPAs). A grand jury investigated and alleged that he improperly "prioritized" the use of these deals to generate revenue for his cash-strapped office.

In reviewing potential improper handling of DPAs, the auditor found the district failed to conduct proper record-keeping, but the audit indicated that during Grubb's time in office, FY 2019-2022, there were 58 DPAs in Pottawatomie County and 194 DPAs in Lincoln County.

“State law lays out the guidelines and that is what I instructed my office to follow,” Grubb said.

The auditor also found that the district had not adopted guidelines, required by state law, regarding what factors should be considered when offering DPAs.

The auditor also found that the district improperly charged the Department of Human Services (DHS) $32,000 for the salary of an employee who did not perform any work under the state’s child support contract. The report states that in July 2022, DHS’s Inspector General was able to confirm that the district improperly charged the child support program.

Grubb told News 9 the improper charge was the result of the DHS onboarding process saying, “ It is horrible [...] it takes DHS so long to put an employee into the system like six weeks to two months,” said Grubb.

Other allegations, such as the improper use of drug seizure funds to cover expenses associated with the unauthorized use of a district vehicle, could not be verified in the audit, with the report again citing a lack of record-keeping.

No evidence was found to support the allegations that Grub made secret deals that went undocumented for his own personal gain. 

“I am glad they found no public funds misused,” Grubb said of the audit.

The auditor's findings, which include the areas where the District misspent money, are now in the hands of Oklahoma County District Attorney Vicki Behenna. She succeeded retired Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater, then board member of the District Attorney's Council, who made the initial request for an audit. The request included signatures from other district attorneys across the state.

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation completed an investigation into Grubb in 2022. The findings were turned over to the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s Office in 2022. No charges have been filed.

The forensic audit report can be seen below: