Swadley’s Bar-B-Q last week filed a countersuit, alleging the governor and Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell, who leads the state’s tourism department, knew of the arrangement where the restaurant chain spent millions of dollars in inflated reimbursement invoices to upgrade services at several state parks.
The Oklahoman newspaper reported some details about the countersuit:
Among the claims in the countersuit is an admission that owner Brent Swadley agreed to a deal in principle and communicated regularly with the state tourism department’s executive teams before the concessionaire contract was posted for bidding as is required by law.
The state’s lawsuit, announced by Gov. Kevin Stitt, along with the resignation of tourism Executive Director Jerry Winchester, claimed Swadley’s was in breach of contract. The suit was filed by Calvert Law Firm, and then turned over to state Attorney General John O’Connor’s office.
“The Stitt, Pinnell, and Winchester Tourism Department got exactly what it wanted with rapid construction of firstclass restaurants during a pandemic,” the Swadley’s countersuit states.
Pinnell is mentioned another time in the report.
One could interpret the Swadley countersuit as a desperate move to muddy the waters and make state officials, including Pinnell, uncomfortable.
However, the fact remains that Swadley’s Bar-B-Q is being investigated by the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. The local district attorney and state auditor are involved in the probe, as well.
Pinnell, a big proponent of Route 66 tourism since taking office, stated on social media in April he supported the cancellation of Swadley’s contract and the continued audits into it.
Winchester resigned from the agency shortly after the contract cancellation.
The Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department in April canceled the state parks contract with Swadley’s Bar-B-Q “due to suspected fraudulent activity and questionable business practices.”
Investigative reports indicate Swadley’s inflated reimbursement invoices to the tourism department. The overcharges are estimated to be more than $4 million. In all, the state had paid Swadley’s more than $16 million to renovate and operate six state-park properties.
Oklahoma City-based Swadley’s launched its first restaurant along Route 66 in nearby Bethany, Oklahoma, and has another location along Route 66 in El Reno, Oklahoma.
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