Former Oklahoma Democratic Party Affirmative Action Chair Robert Chiles has been charged with writing bogus checks in two counties.

Students may have worked with Chiles when they volunteered with Miranda Norman, political science senior and Iraq war veteran, in her fall 2008 run for the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

Norman said Chiles began to tell people he was her campaign manager, but Norman said Chiles never held that position.

“I couldn’t afford a big staff,” Norman said. “I didn’t have anyone in a campaign manager position. Robert was a good volunteer who worked hard, and that is it. It was only until after the election was over when I found out he was printing business cards which said he was my campaign manager.”

Norman said Chiles never had access to her campaign’s money at any time last fall.

“My campaign treasurer handled all of the money,” Norman said. “If Robert had access to any money, it was to take a check that was already filled out to its proper place.”

Norman said Chiles had become known in the Cleveland County Democratic Party as a hard-working volunteer and was recommended to her by the Cleveland County Democratic Party.

Rick Sitzman, Cleveland County assistant district attorney, said Chiles was convicted on a misdemeanor for writing a fake check in 2006 in McClain County and is currently facing charges for writing bogus checks in Pontotoc County.

“Chiles came [to the Oklahoma Democratic Party] from Cleveland County and was elected to hold the position of affirmative action chair at the state convention,” said Karina Henderson, Oklahoma Democratic Party spokeswoman.

Henderson said the state Democratic Party was unaware of Chiles’ past run-in with the law and said Chiles resigned from the position in July.

Chiles’ alleged current run-ins with the law occurred right before and allegedly during his tenure at the Democratic Party.

“The bogus check charge we have against Mr. Chiles is linked to the Project Pride Foundation of Oklahoma,” Sitzman said.

Sitzman said the allegedly false check in Cleveland county was written in March to the amount of $1,229.85.

According to its MySpace page, the Project Pride Foundation of Oklahoma was founded by Chiles to be a service to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. But according to Oklahomans for Equality, the organization that operates the Tulsa gay pride celebrations, the actions of Chiles in the name of Project Pride were a disservice.

While the affirmative action chair at the Oklahoma Democratic party, Chiles was still active in Project Pride.

President of Oklahomans for Equality Toby Jenkins stated in an e-mail that Chiles wanted to take an active role and be an active sponsor in Tulsa Pride 2009 and wrote the organization an $8,000 check to attain that position.

“Our Pride Committee verified funds on the account, did a background check through the Tulsa County Sheriffs office and checked with state leaders in the LGBT community and the Democratic Party before agreeing to the Project Pride Foundation being a sponsor,” he said.

Jenkins said after Tulsa Pride was finished with its festivities, the trouble with Chiles started.

“Throughout the week he met with four other nonprofit organizations that serve the LGBT community in Tulsa and wrote them large checks,” Jenkins said. “... It took about 10 days after the Pride Week Events for the checks to start bouncing. We contacted Robert Chiles, and he told us he would honor the checks. He has not. We have turned it over to the bogus check division of the District Attorney’s office.”

OKC Pride Incorporated, the Oklahoma City counterpart to Tulsa Pride, said Project Pride is not affiliated with them, but they are wary of Chiles.

“I caution the community and state as a whole to be very concerned over the recent allegations and charges that have been raised against Mr. Chiles and wish that justice is rightly served in this matter,” OKC Pride Vice President Nathan Thompson stated in an e-mail.

Attempts to contact the Project Pride Foundation of Oklahoma and Chiles were unsuccessful. The Cleveland County Democratic Party declined to comment.

Sitzman said Chiles probably does not know he is wanted on check fraud charges.

“In cases like these, most people don’t know they are wanted for check fraud charges unless they read it in the paper or someone tells them,” Sitzman said. “If you see Mr. Chiles, the best thing to do is to not confront him, but just contact the authorities of his whereabouts.”