A former Oklahoma state senator has been sentenced to over three years in prison for committing fraud, reports ABC News. Rick Brinkley is the former Republican vice chairman of the Oklahoma Senate's Finance Committee. He has pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to five counts of mail fraud and one count of subscribing to a false tax return. Last year the Better Business Bureau accused Brinkley of setting up fake corporations to pay his bills and support a gambling habit.
The IRS Criminal Investigation agent in charge said, “Unfortunately, we continue to see the public's confidence in the tax system shaken by individuals . . . who apparently feel they can operate above the law.” Brinkley was president and CEO of the Better Business Bureau in Tulsa from 1999 to 2011, then its chief operating officer until last year. That’s when the agency claimed he had been defrauding them. Brinkley says he’s going to pay his debt to society and move on.