OKC newspaper says another state representative connected to Gene Stipe-Walt Roberts investigation

Monday, September 29th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- A published report says state Representative Mike Mass allegedly helped former state Senator Gene Stipe funnel illegal contributions into a 1998 congressional campaign.

The Sunday Oklahoman reports in a copyright story that Mass and four others are listed in campaign reports as giving $3,000 each on October 9th, 1998, to Walt Roberts. At the time, Roberts was the Democratic congressional nominee.

Federal prosecutors, in a criminal charge admitted to by Stipe, describe those contributions as actually coming from Stipe.

Stipe, of McAlester, is scheduled to be sentenced on October 8th. He pleaded guilty to funneling more than $240,000 into Roberts' campaign and then lying to federal investigators about the true source of the money.