Ex-cabinet secretary files $60M claim over bribery charge

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A former member of Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt’s cabinet has filed a claim for $60 million in damages with the State Attorney General’s office, claiming he was wrongly charged with bribery.

Former Secretary of Digital Transformation and Administration David Ostrowe filed the tort claim on Thursday. He says he was wrongly charged by a multi-county grand jury during the term of former Attorney General Mike Hunter.

The bribery charge was dropped days after Hunter announced his resignation in late May. The charge alleged that Ostrowe attempted to bribe members of the Oklahoma Tax Commission to waive interest and tax penalties levied against a company owned by former state Sen. Jason Smalley.