Government Corruption — East Oklahoma Accountability reporting on public corruption, misconduct, and abuse of power across eastern Oklahoma. EastOklahoma.com covers investigations into elected officials, law enforcement, local government, and public institutions — holding power accountable in communities from Tulsa and Muskogee to the small towns and counties of Green Country.
Tulsa
The Stitt Doctrine: How Oklahoma's Governor Built a Policy Machine That Targets the State's Most Vulnerable An investigation into seven years of systematic cuts to programs serving low-income families The Weatherization Paradox On a May morning in 2026, Gov. Kevin Stitt stood before cameras to
Tulsa
The Trust Deficit: Can Oklahomans Believe Kevin Stitt's Data Center Promises When Todd Hiett Still Votes on Their Energy Bills? An investigation into Oklahoma's data center boom, rising electricity costs, and the scandal-plagued regulator who controls your power bill The Promise On May 11, 2026,
Tulsa
An Investigation into the Policies, Politics, and Pollution Threatening Oklahoma's Future The Question Nobody Wants to Answer Drive through rural Oklahoma, and you'll see what state leaders promote as economic development. A hazardous waste landfill accepting toxic materials from across the nation. Data centers consuming millions
Politics
A little-known bill quietly died in committee this spring. What it reveals about who really controls Oklahoma's deer—and the $200 million industry built around them. OKLAHOMA CITY — On a legislative calendar packed with debates over education funding and tax cuts, Senate Bill 1074 slipped through the
Crimes
An eight-year scheme of fraud, luxury gambling, and broken trust in Indian Country Michael Anthony Houser appeared to be living the American dream. The 36-year-old accountant from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, had climbed the corporate ladder at one of the most successful tribal gaming enterprises in the nation.
Government Corruption
How Oklahoma's Cash Bail System Imprisons the Innocent An Investigation into America's Highest Incarceration Rate On any given morning in Oklahoma, more than 9,000 people wake up behind bars who have never been convicted of a crime. They are legally innocent—presumed so by the
Vian
How Vian's Culture of Political Protection Shielded Joshua Smith—Until Federal Prison A Follow-Up Investigation When Joshua Smith was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for the aggravated sexual abuse of a child, the national media focused on the crime itself—as they should have. A
Vian
How One Small Town's Leadership Repeatedly Dismantled Its Own Police Department to Protect the Politically Connected An Investigation into Three Scandals, Two Police Departments That Quit, and One Family That Kept Getting Arrested The Arrest That Revealed the Pattern When Vian Mayor Dennis Fletcher was arrested on March
Sallisaw
County assessor remains on the job despite removal charges as school losses mount, compliance failures continue, and a jury trial scheduled over a year ago still has no date It's been exactly one year since Brandy Dobbs (now Brandy Allen) was supposed to face a jury. On May
Tulsa
A comprehensive investigation into Governor Kevin Stitt's controversial midnight veto and the cascade of corruption allegations that defined his tenure On a late spring night in May 2025, as most Oklahomans slept, Governor Kevin Stitt made a decision that would crystallize his administration's troubled relationship with
Feature Story
PAWHUSKA, OKLAHOMA — In September 2024, local rancher Bud Beaston sent a registered letter detailing allegations of corruption in Osage County to Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond, Governor Kevin Stitt, the U.S. Department of Justice, and thirty media outlets across the state. Only one reporter responded. The allegations involve a
Tulsa
How Epic Charter Schools Founders Allegedly Stole From Oklahoma's Children—And Bought Political Protection OKLAHOMA CITY — For nearly a decade, David Chaney and Ben Harris ran Oklahoma's largest virtual charter school like their personal piggy bank. They allegedly pocketed $55 million in taxpayer money meant for