Jay Paul Gumm (born November 29, 1963) is an American

economic development In the economics study of the public sector, economic and social development is the process by which the economic well-being and quality of life of a nation, region, local community, or an individual are improved according to targeted goals and o ...

professional from

Bryan County, Oklahoma Bryan County is a county in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. As of the 2010 census, the population was 42,416. Its county seat is Durant. It is the only county in the United States named for Democratic politician William Jennings Bryan. Bryan Cou ...

who served eight years as a member of the Oklahoma State Senate.

Education

Born in

Durant, Oklahoma Durant () is a city in Bryan County, Oklahoma, United States that serves as the headquarters of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. The population was 18,589 in the 2020 census. Durant is the principal city of the Durant Micropolitan Statistical A ...

, Gumm received his bachelor's degree from

Southeastern Oklahoma State University Southeastern Oklahoma State University (Southeastern, SE, or SOSU) is a public university in Durant, Oklahoma. It had an undergraduate enrollment of 4,824 in 2019. History On March 6, 1909, the Second Oklahoma State Legislature approved an a ...

. He was a realtor and consultant. Prior to being elected to the Oklahoma Senate, Gumm was executive director of the Durant Area Chamber of Commerce.

Political career

Gumm served as a Democratic member of the Oklahoma Senate representing District 6 (which includes all of Bryan, Johnston and

Marshall Marshall may refer to: Places Australia * Marshall, Victoria, a suburb of Geelong, Victoria Canada * Marshall, Saskatchewan * The Marshall, a mountain in British Columbia Liberia * Marshall, Liberia Marshall Islands * Marshall Islands, an i ...

counties and parts of Atoka and

Coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal is formed when dea ...

Counties) from 2002 through 2010. In 2010, Gumm was defeated in a re-election bid to

Josh Brecheen Joshua Chad Brecheen (, , born June 19, 1979) is an American politician from the U.S. state of Oklahoma who has served as the U.S. representative for Oklahoma's 2nd congressional district since 2023. He represented the 6th district in the Oklaho ...

Later career

Gumm left Oklahoma to work as

executive director Executive director is commonly the title of the chief executive officer of a non-profit organization, government agency or international organization. The title is widely used in North American and European not-for-profit organizations, though ...

of the Stone County Economic Development Partnership in

Stone County, Mississippi Stone County is a County (United States), county located in the U.S. state of Mississippi. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census, the population was 17,786. Its county seat is Wiggins, Mississippi, Wiggins. Stone County was formed fro ...

. On August 16, 2013, Gumm was arrested and charged with embezzling more than $24,000 from the Stone County Economic Partnership. On January 30, 2014, Gumm was indicted on one count of felony embezzlement and served by OSA Special Agents and Stone County Deputies. Officials say the various instances of embezzlement included Gumm depositing $11,750.00 into his personal account; fraudulently withholding a $2,000.00 personal check that was shown as deposited; depositing a $500.00 fraudulent check into his personal account from a Christmas party; and depositing an $8,060.00 amount from six checks with forged signatures. In February 2016, Gumm agreed to a plea deal in which he would spend two years on probation for embezzlement charges and pay $8,900 to the Mississippi Economic Development Partnership. He was allowed to accept an Alford plea, which lets a defendant plead guilty while maintaining he's innocent, by signing a court document in which he "admits it is in his best interest to enter his plea and that a reasonable jury could find him guilty." Gumm asked for non-adjudication, which could have wiped out his felony charge but Circuit Judge Roger Clark instead sentenced him as a felon.

References

External links

Stone County Economic Development Partnership
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gumm, Jay Paul 1963 births Living people Democratic Party Oklahoma state senators Businesspeople from Mississippi Businesspeople from Oklahoma People from Durant, Oklahoma People from Wiggins, Mississippi Oklahoma politicians convicted of crimes 21st-century American politicians