An elected official with local ties has pled guilty to a felony and will resign her position, Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond announced yesterday.

State Rep. Ayshia “Ajay” Pittman, a citizen of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, pleaded guilty Tuesday to felony charges related to submitting a forged check to the Oklahoma Ethics Commission. As part of her sentence, Pittman will resign from her elected position in the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

According to the charges, Pittman directed the creation of a falsified check, which was then submitted to the Oklahoma Ethics Commission in an attempt to avoid repayment of funds to her campaign account. The scheme involved altering and creating a false $2,500 check and using a computer network to transmit the fraudulent document to state officials while representing it as genuine.

Pittman appeared before a judge Tuesday and pleaded guilty to Conspiracy to Commit a Felony, Forgery in the Second Degree, and Violating the Oklahoma Computer Crimes Act.

“Public officials hold a sacred trust with the people they serve,” said Drummond. “When that trust is violated for personal gain, it strikes at the very heart of our institutions. This office will continue to hold elected officials accountable when they abuse their positions and betray the public’s confidence. No one is above the law in Oklahoma.”

Besides resigning from her position as a state representative, Pittman will receive a seven-year deferred sentence. She will also pay full restitution for the misused campaign funds to a charitable organization, with both parties agreeing which organization will receive the funds. The Oklahoma Ethics Commission has separately voted to accept a settlement agreement with Pittman related to these matters.

Pittman’s office at the State Capitol was raided in October, which was followed by the filing of a civil lawsuit against Pittman by the Oklahoma Ethics Commission. Shortly after the raid, it was announced that Pittman had been removed from the State Tribal Relations Committee.

Pittman, D-Oklahoma City, was elected to her fourth term as a state representative in 2024.