Oklahoma Election Law Expert On Hofmeister Case

Court filings show Joy Hofmeister is accused of coordinating with a separate group, an Independent Expenditure or IE, about her campaign. Documents also allege she accepted donations over the legal limit and from prohibited sources.

AJ Ferate is an attorney who works with candidates in Oklahoma and all over the country, helping them make sure they're following election laws.

He said this kind of case against Hofmeister, where the IE is used, is not something we've really seen here in Oklahoma. But across the country, it has come up and commonly gone to trial.

“Being a defendant in this case, if you go to trial, is going to be a challenge. First of all, generally speaking, people don’t trust elected officials and that’s fair,” Ferate said.

He also said the issues at hand can be difficult to follow for those unfamiliar with the inner workings of a campaign.

“So it’s going to be very important that the jury, if you go to a jury trial, be articulated to clearly,” he added.

If convicted, possible punishments for the crimes which Hofmeister is being accused, include up to 10 years in prison.

11/4/16 Related Story: Joy Hofmeister Enters 'Not Guilty' Plea On Charges Of Campaign Violations

“Many of similar cases or dealing with similar issues nationwide often do not see that significant of a sentence,” he told News 9. But Ferate said anything could happen in this case as it continues to move forward.