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Swadley sentencing hearing begins in Oklahoma County after state-contract fraud conviction
A new judge began considering Brent Swadley’s sentence Wednesday after his conviction for defrauding Oklahoma through state-park restaurants. The proceedings come as Swadley also seeks records related to a state audit of his company’s tourism contract.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Brent Swadley’s sentencing hearing began Wednesday morning at the Oklahoma County Courthouse, where a new judge is to decide the former restaurant owner’s punishment for defrauding the state.
Swadley was convicted in May in a case involving his company’s restaurants at Oklahoma state parks. Prosecutors accused him of submitting fake invoices and billing the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department for millions of dollars. The two-day sentencing process is expected to continue through Thursday.
The hearing had originally been scheduled for July but was postponed after Swadley’s attorneys asked the previous judge to step aside. The new judge is now overseeing sentencing.
The court proceedings are unfolding alongside a separate legal challenge. Two days before the hearing, Swadley sued State Auditor Cindy Byrd, alleging her office violated the Oklahoma Open Records Act by withholding records connected to a forensic audit of his company’s state tourism contract.
The lawsuit seeks the audit, related documents and communications between the auditor’s office and the attorney general’s office. The records dispute puts public access to information about a state contract under scrutiny while Swadley’s criminal case moves toward sentencing.