One of three donors accused of giving excessive campaign funds to Oklahoma County Commissioner Brent Rinehart pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor this week and has agreed to cooperate in the case against Rinehart and his former campaign manager, prosecutors said.
Engineer Bob Larkin agreed to a three-year deferred sentence and a $1,500 fine for a misdemeanor count of giving more than $5,000 to a political candidate, said Charlie Price, a spokesman for Attorney General Drew Edmondson.
Rinehart and his former campaign manager, Tim Pope, have yet to see the inside of a courtroom since being charged with multiple felonies related to the financing of Rinehart's 2004 campaign.
Rinehart and Pope were not in court Monday when their attorneys went before Special Judge Carol Ann Hubbard, according to court records. Hubbard set a 9 a.m. July 6 preliminary hearing in the case.
Rinehart and Pope had been scheduled to appear today for a preliminary hearing conference. Instead, the conference was Monday and not placed on the court docket.
Rinehart, 42, and Pope, 49, are charged with money laundering, conspiracy, perjury and other counts. Edmondson filed the charges, claiming Pope and Rinehart solicited excessive campaign donations from at least three people and illegally funneled the money into Rinehart's campaign.
Rinehart and Pope have denied wrongdoing
