Bubbaworld

Disgraced former Insurance Commissioner Carroll Fisher, 67, (D-Tulsa) who last Friday lost his appeal of his February 2006 conviction for embezzlement and perjury has checked into the Oklahoma County Jail to begin serving his three year sentence.

Fisher has been under house arrest at his home in Tulsa most of the time since his conviction with the exception of two weeks he spent in the Oklahoma County Jail between the time of his conviction and formal sentencing and for five days for violating the terms of his house arrest.

From the Oklahoma County Jail Fisher will be transferred to the Lexington Assessment and Reception Center where Department of Corrections officials will determine where he will serve his time.

The charges of which Fisher were convicted were just a few of the many he faces and were in reality the lesser of offenses. Basically Fisher was convicted of embezzling $1,000 from his own campaign fund and the perjury conviction was the result of his lying on a contributions report about those funds. In addition to the three year prison sentence, Fisher must also pay a $20,000 fine.

Fisher was also accused of bribery involving a $25,000 check, about $20,000 in office furniture and $25,000 in campaign contributions from Texas businessman Gene Phillips, Phillips’ family and business associates.

Fisher also faces allegations of filing a false income tax return, failure to pay over money to the state, failure to register a charity, failure to report charitable contributions and failure to keep appropriate records of contributions.

Carroll Fisher was elected Oklahoma Insurance Commissioner in 1998. His 1998 campaign for the office centered on allegations of wrong-doing, lack of integrity and questionable practices on the part of his predecessor.

In February, 2003 the Oklahoma Ethics Commission reprimanded Fisher for using his position as Insurance Commissioner to obtain confidential employment documents on his 2002 election opponent, Doug Barry. Fisher obtained the documents from Barry’s employer, an insurance company which Fisher regulated. Fisher then faxed the documents to news media outlets.

The Ethics Commission also reprimanded Fisher for soliciting lavish office furnishings from various insurance companies he regulated. The value of those “donations” exceeded $30,000. Fisher ultimately returned the furnishings after Governor Henry refused to accept them as state property.

In October, 2003 Fisher pleaded no contest in Oklahoma City Municipal Court to “drunk driving” and other related charges. At the time of his arrest on DUI, open container and improper turn charges, Fisher was driving a state-owned vehicle.

Fisher resigned from office in 2004 after he was impeached by the state House of Representatives and just before he was to face an ouster trial in the state Senate