Former legislator indictment on 74 counts

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- A former state senator was accused in a 74-count felony indictment today with illegally accepting $210,000 as a state Health Department employee. <br><br>Jim D- Lane of McAlester

Friday, January 26th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(Oklahoma City-AP) -- A former state senator was accused in a 74-count felony indictment today with illegally accepting $210,000 as a state Health Department employee.

Jim D- Lane of McAlester was charged with 67 counts of filing false claims and seven counts of obtaining money by false pretenses. He pleaded not guilty to all counts.

Lane was led away from Judge Jerry Bass's courtroom in handcuffs and was expected to be released later on a ten-thousand dollar bail.

There was no immediate comment from Lane or his attorney, Robert Nance.

The 66-year-old Lane was originally hired by the Health Department as an environmental health consultant in 1990.

Lane served in the state Senate in the 1970s.

His wife, Rebecca Lane, was fired from the Health Department last June and indicted six months later on 20 felony counts of obtaining money by false pretense.

More than 30 employees of the health agency have been fired after a scandal involving bribery and ``ghost employees'' at the agency was uncovered in May.