FEC v. Rhoads for Congress

On May 2, 1986, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois approved a consent order between the Commission and the Rhoads for Congress Committee (the Committee), Mark Q. Rhoads' principal campaign committee for his 1982 Illinois House race, and the Committee's treasurer, William E. Naegel. Defendants acknowledged that they had violated section 441a(f) of the election law by accepting excessive contributions from:

• Mary G. Rhoads, the candidate's mother, who made the excessive contributions by personally endorsing and providing security for two loans, portions of which (i.e., $17,000) were accepted by the Committee;[1] and
• The Mid-America Conservative Political Action Committee (MAPAC), a nonconnected PAC. (At the time MAPAC made the excessive contributions, its per election limit was $1,000, rather than $5,000, because the PAC had not yet qualified for multicandidate status.)

Defendants agreed to pay a $2,000 civil penalty within 30 days of the court's order.

FOOTNOTE:

[1] Under the election law and FEC regulations, endorsements and guarantees of loans, including those made by the candidate's family, count as contributions to the extent of the outstanding balance of the loan. 2 U.S.C. §431(a)(A)(i) and 11 CFR 100.7(a)(1)(i)(C).

Source:   FEC Record — June 1986