Investigation of Pornography, Sexual Harassment and Discrimination at Corporation Commission Demanded

Questions raised over whether Bob Anthony
ordered employees to violate state law

Edmondson, Grand Juries, and OSBI should descend on “cesspool”


OKLAHOMA CITY – Revelations of a pornography scandal inside the state Corporation Commission and a series of discrimination cases demand state lawmen immediately begin an investigation into potential corruption inside the commission, Cody Graves said today.

Graves, a former commissioner who cleaned up corruption in the commission once before, called upon state Attorney General Drew Edmondson, and the OSBI to begin a probe that will include a review of whether Commissioner Bob Anthony ordered commission employees to break a state law which requires them to monitor computer activity of state employees.

Graves’ request is based upon recent news accounts of the settlement of a sexual harassment case, and documents in another pending unlawful termination lawsuit involving high-ranking commission executives.



“Official documents make it clear that a pornography scandal has existed inside the commission for quite some time and that sexual harassment, and possibly racial and gender discrimination, have gone on at the state agency and may still be going on,” Graves, who is running against incumbent Commissioner Bob Anthony, said.

“There are also serious allegations involving other potentially illegal activity in these documents,” Graves said. “It seems, tragically, that the commission may have become a center of corruption.”

Graves said the probe should include investigations into the widespread use of state computers and state time by some high-ranking agency employees to view pornographic internet websites, including some involving potentially under-aged girls.

Any probe should investigate whether or not commission leaders were involved in attempts to cover-up the porn scandal or other wrongdoing.

Graves noted that at least one local television station has filed an open records request for the Commission’s computer logs but to date the Commission has not responded. It is important to note, Graves said, that he has seen no evidence that Anthony ever visited pornographic websites.

However, official documents in at least one pending wrongful termination case reveal at least two top administrators at the commission were caught by agency computer experts using state computers to visit porn sites. Those same documents indicate agency computer officials compiled a list of other commission personnel who visited porn sites and the names of the porn sites.

The documents allege that after Anthony became aware his computer was being monitored be web experts, he ordered agency directors to stop monitoring his activity and those of other commissioners, in what may be a violation of state law.

Graves said he believes any investigation also must include review of all agency personnel decisions because of a string of lawsuits and complaints involving gender and racial discrimination at the commission.

Graves asked Edmondson and other lawmen to probe the connection between attorneys who have been hired to defend commissioners and top agency administrators in some of these cases. Graves said it appears Anthony and others have hired attorneys to defend them who also regularly represent telecommunication interests that are seeking favorable decisions from Anthony and other agency decision makers.

Graves noted some of the reasons he is demanding a criminal probe at the commission:

• The settlement of one sexual harassment lawsuit against the commission and commission leaders that, to date has cost taxpayers in excess of $100,000.
• An ongoing wrongful termination suit related to the settled sexual harassment case where federal authorities have ruled the case against the commission is valid.
• A second wrongful termination lawsuit at the commission.
• Official documents that indicate Anthony ordered commission computer administrators to stop monitoring his internet activity after learning that logs were being kept of his computer activity, as required by state law.
• Dramatic revelations in court documents that numerous top-level administrators were regularly visiting pornographic websites, including Anthony’s aide.
• Allegations of racial and gender discrimination at the commission.
• Court documents that reveal the agency’s former top administrator, current Oklahoma Republican party chairman Tom Daxon, has been linked to alleged sexual improprieties inside the agency.
• The rehiring of employees who had been terminated from the commission twice in the past.

“It is clear from the scope and consistency of these incidents that a thorough and complete special investigation, conducted by lawmen and prosecutors, must be conducted at the commission,” Graves said. “We need an independent and thorough review to see exactly what laws have been broken and who’s broken them.”

Graves, an attorney and nationally recognized energy expert, will send letters to Edmondson and the OSBI along with a number of documents that he believes indicate a probe is justified.