Former Brent Rinehart campaign manager Tim Pope pleads guilty to finance violation

 
BY BRYAN DEAN | Modified: May 6, 2009 at 3:24 pm | Published: May 6, 2009    Comment on this article Leave a comment

Tim Pope, who managed former County Commissioner Brent Rinehart's 2004 campaign, pleaded guilty Wednesday in Oklahoma County District Court to a misdemeanor campaign finance violation.

photo - Campaign manager Tim Pope and Oklahoma County Commissioner Brent Rinehart, from left, arrive at the Oklahoma County jail for booking on Friday, April 6, 2007, in Oklahoma City, Okla. Photo by Chris Landsberger.
Campaign manager Tim Pope and Oklahoma County Commissioner Brent Rinehart, from left, arrive at the Oklahoma County jail for booking on Friday, April 6, 2007, in Oklahoma City, Okla. Photo by Chris Landsberger.

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Prosecutors agreed to dismiss multiple felony counts if Pope pleaded guilty to one count of aiding and abetting a contributor in exceeding the statutory limit for campaign contributions. The deal carries a three-year deferred sentence, a $500 fine and other costs.

As part of the deal, Pope also will end challenges to a federal civil judgment in a separate case. The attorney general sued Pope for violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Pope had challenged a $4,500 judgment in the case. Pope also agreed to testify truthfully if called during Rinehart's trial, which is scheduled to begin in November.

Rinehart is charged with multiple felonies, including fraud and money laundering. Prosecutors claim he accepted campaign contributions over the legal limit from several contributors who have all pleaded guilty to misdemeanors in the case. Rinehart has denied any wrongdoing.




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