skip navigation
Here's how you know US flag signifying that this is a United States Federal Government website

An official website of the United States government

Here's how you know

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

SSL

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Federal Election Commission | United States of America

FEC v. Friends of Isaiah Fletcher

Summary

On April 24, 1989, the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland ruled that Friends of Isaiah Fletcher and Mr. Fletcher, as treasurer, violated section 434(a)(2)(A) of the election law by failing to file an October 1986 quarterly report. (Civil Action No. PN 88-2323.) The committee was Mr. Fletcher's principal campaign committee for his 1986 Congressional bid.

The court ordered defendants to pay a civil penalty of $5,000 and to pay the Commission's costs in the action. The court also permanently enjoined the defendants from similar future violations of the Act.

In March 1990, after the Fletcher campaign had failed to make any payments on the judgment, the FEC petitioned the court to (1) hold defendants in contempt for their failure to pay the assessments and (2) order defendants to pay the interest that had accrued on the penalty.

The court denied the motion but ordered defendants to begin paying the assessments in monthly installments of $300 each beginning June 15, 1990. The court also ordered Mr. Fletcher to file a statement profiling his financial situation.

After the defendants failed to comply with these orders, the court granted an FEC petition to hold them in contempt on February 5, 1991. The court ordered Mr. Fletcher and the committee to pay:

  • An additional penalty of $100 per day until they fully comply with the previous orders;
  • Interest charges on the unpaid court costs owed to the FEC; and
  • The FEC's costs in prosecuting the contempt proceeding.

The case was closed on August 6, 1992, when the FEC notified the court that the committee and its treasurer, Mr. Fletcher, had paid the court-ordered penalty to the satisfaction of the agency.

Source:   FEC Record — October 1992; April 1991; July 1990; and June 1989.

This information is not intended to replace the law or to change its meaning, nor does this information create or confer any rights for or on any person or bind the Federal Election Commission or the public.

The reader is encouraged also to consult the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended (52 U.S.C. 30101 et seq.), Commission regulations (Title 11 of the Code of Federal Regulations), Commission advisory opinions and applicable court decisions.