After extensive preliminary hearings, former Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner Carroll Fisher has been ordered to stand trial on several felony counts--including embezzlement, perjury, accepting a bribe, filing a false tax return and keeping a false record of his charity organization.
Additionally, Mr. Fisher's former assistant, Opal Ellis, as well as Mr. Fisher's charitable foundation, called the Fisher Foundation, were also ordered to stand trial on all counts against them.
The ruling was issued last week by Oklahoma County Special Judge Fred Doak after hearing evidence over 11 months in eight different cases concerning Mr. Fisher, Ms. Ellis and the Fisher Foundation.
"We are happy with this ruling. We always believed that the evidence would support the charges in this case. We are glad the judge agreed," said Emily Lang, spokesperson for the Oklahoma Attorney General's Office.
The cases are now scheduled for a pre-trial hearing on Aug. 5 in Oklahoma County District Court before Judge Susan Caswell. Mr. Fisher, who resigned from his commissioner post in Sept. 2004, could get a maximum of 51 years in prison and a fine up to $76,500 if convicted on all counts. Ms. Ellis could face a maximum of 74 years in prison and fines totaling $17,000.
Mr. Fisher, Ms. Ellis and the Fisher Foundation were initially charged Feb. 11, 2004, after a probe by the state's multi-county grand jury. Mr. Fisher is now named in a total of five cases on eight charges. Ms. Ellis is named in five cases on 11 charges, and the Fisher Foundation is named in one case containing three charges.
The charges against them are as follows:
o Mr. Fisher and Ms. Ellis are charged with one count each of failure to pay over money to the state between April 1999 and March 2003.
o Mr. Fisher, Ms. Ellis and the Fisher Foundation are accused of one count each of failure to register a non-exempt charitable organization, failure to report contributions to a non-exempt charitable organization, and failure to provide and keep a copy of written receipts for charitable contributions.
o Ms. Ellis is also charged with one count of embezzlement or failure to pay money over to the state, one count of co-mingling state finances with personal finances, one count of embezzlement and four counts of making a false claim against the state.
o Mr. Fisher is also charged with one count each of accepting a bribe, embezzlement or failure to pay money over to the state, perjury and filing a false tax return.
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