Ajay Pittman denies fraud allegations, Anastasia Pittman seeks paper shredder for ‘surgery recovery’

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As the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office continues to investigate her campaign finances, Rep. Ajay Pittman has responded to the civil lawsuit filed against her and has shared an Amazon “surgery recovery gift list” requesting a paper shredder and more than 100 other items for her mother, a fellow elected official whose Microsoft account is alleged to have fabricated a letter supporting her daughter’s case.

A member of the Seminole Nation General Council, Anastasia Pittman posted the Amazon list and a GiveInKind.com link seeking donated meals on Tuesday, two days ahead of a scheduled rotator cuff surgery she said stems from of a pair of car accidents.

“You’re also welcome to send a Cash App for the cost of a meal if that’s easier,” Anastasia Pittman wrote on the Give In Kind page.

Cash donations to elected officials do not appear to constitute a violation of the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma’s code of laws. On Thursday afternoon, Ajay Pittman posted on Facebook that her mother was “recovering well” from the surgery.

Requested on Amazon along with gift cards, clothes, medical items, cleaning supplies and cooking appliances, the paper shredder — designated a “most wanted” item — caught the attention of Oklahoma State Capitol insiders who considered it an awkward “wish list” item for a political family under criminal investigation.

On Oct. 16, Attorney General Gentner Drummond’s agents served search warrants related to Ajay Pittman’s use of campaign funds for personal affairs and the alleged forgery of a “building manager” letter submitted to the Oklahoma Ethics Commission. The letter claimed campaign documents had been destroyed in a flood.

Each Pittman is referenced in the search warrants executed at Ajay Pittman’s State Capitol office and at a Midwest City home where “both of them currently reside,” according to investigators. However, the Midwest City home falls outside the boundaries of House District 99, which Ajay Pittman (D-OKC) has represented since late 2018. Her mother served 12 years in the Legislature and has run unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor and county commissioner.

The search warrants note that Ajay Pittman’s vehicle and driver’s license are registered at a home within HD 99 on Palamino Drive, but OAG Agent Laura Pereira “confirmed with the Oklahoma City Police Department that this address does not have any active utilities.”

“During surveillance operations, Agent Pereira had not observed Pittman’s vehicle at this residence,” OAG Agent Eric VanGurp wrote in one of the search warrant applications.

In its civil lawsuit filed Oct. 16, the Oklahoma Ethics Commission accused Ajay Pittman of submitting a “not genuine” $2,500 cashier’s check as part of her prior settlement agreement over nearly $18,000 of improper campaign account purchases. In May 2024, Pittman had agreed to pay a cumulative total of $35,000 in reimbursements and penalties after the commission alleged dozens of restaurant, clothing and travel purchases had been made for personal use.

The commission alleges that Pittman’s January 2025 settlement payment for $2,500 came not from Pittman’s personal funds, but rather constituted a campaign donation check from the Osage Nation willfully disguised through the use of a fake check.

The commission’s lawsuit also accused the Pittmans of preparing and submitting a letter posing as someone named “D. Hill” allegedly associated with a former campaign office.

“While investigating other matters in this case [the commission] learned that the letter submitted by defendant was not prepared by a building manager, but instead was prepared by defendant’s mother on May 6, 2024, at 5:09 p.m., two minutes before it was submitted by defendant to induce plaintiff to agree to accept her offer of settlement,” the OEC’s petition states. “On information and belief, plaintiff alleges that defendant submitted the letter to plaintiff knowing the letter was not actually drafted by the building manager, knowing it was false and fraudulent with the intent to deceive plaintiff and induce plaintiff to agree to accept her offer of settlement.”

The search warrant served on the Pittmans’ home claims metadata indicate the “falsely fabricated and fraudulent” letter was “created on” and “modified” by Anastasia Pittman’s Microsoft account, but it does not accuse her of directly creating it.

Rep. Ajay Pittman ‘denies every allegation’ in first response

Nearly two months after the Ethics Commission filed its case against Ajay Pittman, the four-term northeast OKC Democrat filed a response denying the allegations, which appears to be her first public statement on the matter since it became public last year, when she blamed the improper purchases on a “clerical error in our campaign filings.”

“Although, it is not uncommon for legislators to hire people to manage and file reports on their behalf,” Pittman said in May 2024. “I am glad that the error was brought to my attention, as it provided us with the opportunity to take swift action, including making changes in campaign staff and working closely with the Ethics Commission to ensure that our campaign is able to update previous years’ campaign filings that will ensure that we remain in compliance with all state ethics rules now and in the future.”

Since the Ethics Commission filed its suit in October, Pittman has been removed from all legislative committees and suspended from the House Democratic Caucus. While she has ignored calls for her resignation and has declined to comment publicly on the lawsuit and criminal investigation, Pittman’s Dec. 9 court filings offer little insight for her constituents.

“The defendant hereby denies every allegation contained therein unless specifically admitted in her answer,” her attorney, Ronald Jones II, wrote.

Pittman’s answer conceded seven points in the Ethics Commission’s petition, six of which were related to the commission’s powers. The only substantive admission in Pittman’s filing is that she “resides in Oklahoma County” and is an officeholder. She denied all other allegations.

Jones used three different types of denials in Pittman’s answer: a general denial, a denial because Pittman “is without sufficient information to admit or deny the allegations,” or a declaration that the referenced document “speaks for itself” alongside a general denial.

The allegations Pittman denies because she is “without sufficient information” include:

• “A notice of allegations was issued to Pittman on March 8, 2024, in case No. 2022-25, and Pittman thereafter submitted a settlement offer;”
• “As of the date of [the Ethics Commission’s] petition, defendant has failed to make the full $12,000.00 payment by May 31, 2025, in breach of the agreement;” and
• “As of the date of [the Ethics Commission’s] petition, defendant has failed to provide proof that any payments made were sourced by her own personal funds, as is required by the agreement.”

The Oklahoma Legislature is set to convene for its 2026 regular session Monday, Feb. 2, and privacy requirements in the House mean it is currently unclear what bills Pittman may aim to file.

In the meantime, as she promotes her mother’s Amazon “surgery recovery gift list” on social media, Ajay Pittman is also registered on Amazon as a “contributor” who can earn “commissions” when recommended products are purchased by others.

“Sharing my journey from the Capitol to the Culture Shop,” Pittman’s Amazon contributor bio states. “My picks & favorites that make my busy lifestyle easier.”

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