Tulsa World
August 19, 1983
Verdict Catches Nigh, Leaders Off-Guard
Families Sit Quietly At Reading
By Chuck Ervin
World Capitol Bureau
MUSKOGEE – The shocked families of House Speaker Dan Draper and Majority Leader Joe Fitzgibbon sat quietly in the federal courtroom here Thursday as a clerk read one guilty verdict after another against the two lawmakers.
Draper, one of the most powerful men in the state government for the past five years, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy and 10 of mail fraud.
Fitzgibbon, the speaker’s closest friend in the Legislature and his top lieutenant, was guilty of one count of conspiracy and eight counts of mail fraud.
As the clerk read each verdict in the emotionless voice, Draper’s wife, Mary Lee stroked the hair of their 12-year-old son, Dan and patted his shoulder.
The boy fought back tears.
The Drapers’ 19-year-old daughter, Cherie, sat next to them staring straight ahead.
Fitzgibbon’s wife, Pearle Ann, appeared numb.
Governor to Seek Opinion
By Nancy Mathis
World Capitol Bureau
OKLAHOMA CITY – Gov. George Nigh and stunned House leaders were left floundering for their next moves when the jury in Muskogee released its shocker of a verdict Thursday night.
Nigh will seek an attorney general’s opinion Friday to determine if House Speaker Dan Draper and Majority Floor Leader Joe Fitzgibbon will be ousted or suspended from office.
Meanwhile, Draper’s closest supporter, and one rival, expressed shock and dismay over the lawmaker’s conviction late Thursday of voter fraud charges.
Draper and Fitzgibbon were found guilty by a Muskogee federal grand jury on one count of conspiracy. Draper was judged guilty on 10 counts of mail fraud and Fitzgibbon was convicted on eight counts.
Although county commissioners convicted of the federal kickback scandal have been forced to resign from office, the law is unclear about legislators, Nigh spokesman John Reid said.
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