FEC Releases Eight Compliance Cases

 

News Releases, Media Advisories

 

FEC RELEASES EIGHT COMPLIANCE CASES

 

WASHINGTON -- The Federal Election Commission has made public its final action on eight matters previously under review (MURs). This release contains only summary information. Closed files should be thoroughly read for details, including the FEC’s legal analysis of the case. (Please see footnote at the end of this release.) Closed MUR files are available in the Public Records Office.

 

1. MUR 3847/Pre-MUR 333

RESPONDENTS: (a) Stephen E. Stockman (TX)

(b) Friends of Steve Stockman, John Hart, treasurer (TX)

(c) Stockman for Congress, Stephen E. Stockman, treasurer (TX)

(d) Jeff Van Fleet and the Southeast Texas Times (TX)

(e) Tim Frankovich and the Southeast Texas Statesman (TX)

(f) Political Won Stop (TX)

(g) Fields for Senate Committee, Kathryn A. Wood, treasurer (TX)

(h) Wright for Senate Committee, Joe Terry Rye, treasurer (TX)

(i) Conservative Action Network (TX)

(j) Clear Lake Area Young Conservatives of Texas (TX)

(k) Citizens for Honesty in Government (TX)

COMPLAINANTS: Stephen M. Clifford, Campaign Consultant, Friends of LeCour (TX)

SUBJECT: Excessive contributions; failure to report various contributions and disbursements; disclaimers; failure to itemize ultimate payee and to adequately report purpose of disbursements; cumulated disbursements to a vendor within a reporting period; failure to report disbursements aggregating in excess of $200 per year; failure to file Statement of Candidacy timely

DISPOSITION: (a) Probable cause to believe*

[re: failure to file Statement of Candidacy timely; excessive contributions]

(b) Conciliation Agreement: $40,000 civil penalty*

Respondent to file amended reports to correct improper entries and omitted items

(c) Probable cause to believe*

[re: various reporting violations; excessive contributions; disclaimers]

(d) Reason to believe, but took no further action*

[re: excessive contributions; disclaimer]

(e) Reason to believe, but took no further action*

[re: excessive contributions]

(g-h) No reason to believe*

[re: disclaimer]

(f, i-j) Took no action

(k) Reason to believe, but took no further action*

[re: disclaimer]

 

2. MUR 4064

RESPONDENTS: (a) Sherrill Morgan (NC)

(b) The Committee to Elect Sherrill Morgan, Debbie L. Leopard, treasurer (NC)

(c) 2MR, Inc., d/b/a Albermarle Honda, Donald Fink, Vice President (NC)

(d) The Messenger Inc., James W. Morgan, President and Cheryl Morgan, Vice-President (NC)

(e) Joey Davis, Campaign Manager (NC)

COMPLAINANTS: North Carolina Democratic Party, Charles Walker, former Chairman (NC)

SUBJECT: Corporate contributions; use of corporate facilities, failure to report contributions

DISPOSITION: (a-d) Conciliation Agreement: $65,000 civil penalty*

(e) No reason to believe*

 

3. MUR 4116

 

RESPONDENTS: (a) National Council of Senior Citizens (NCSC) (DC)

(b) National Council of Senior Citizens Political Action Committee (NSCS - PAC), Michael C. Ingrao, treasurer (DC)

(c) Robb for the Senate, J. Howard Middleton, Jr., treasurer (VA)

(d) Citizens for Senator Wofford, John D. Sheridan, treasurer (PA)

(e) Friends of Tom Andrews, Geoff Gattis, treasurer (ME)

(f) Feinstein for Senate ‘94, Michael J. Barrett, treasurer (CA)

(g) Hyatt for Senate Committee, Reed J. McGivney, treasurer (OH)

(h) Jack Mudd for U. S. Senate, Margaret Mudd, treasurer (MT)

(i) Ron Sims for U.S. Senate, Horace C. Francis, treasurer (WA)

COMPLAINANTS: American Conservative Union, David A. Keene, Chairman (VA)

SUBJECT: Corporate contribution; excessive contribution; failure to correctly report contribution and expenditure; disclaimer

DISPOSITION: (a) No reason to believe

[re: unregistered, non-reporting committee; gov’t contractor]

(a-b) Conciliation Agreement: $12,000 civil penalty*

-Respondents will institute procedures to ensure that the PAC will not finance communications in coordination with federal candidates causing them to exceed the contribution limit.

-Respondents will institute procedures to ensure that NCSC does not unlawfully finance activities or communications that expressly advocate the election and/or defeat of any federal candidates and/or coordinate any such activities with any federal candidates.

-Respondents will amend their reports so as to disclose all contributions and independent expenditures.

(c) Probable cause to believe, but determined not to file civil suit and took no further action*

[re: excessive contribution; failure to report contribution; corporate contribution]

(d-i) Took no action*

 

4./5. MURS 4128 and 4362

RESPONDENTS: (a) Grant M. Lally (NY) [4128/4362]

(b) Lally for Congress, Dawn Fasano, treasurer (NY) [4128/4362]

(c) Lawrence M. Lally (NY) [4128]

(d) Ute W. Lally (NY) [4128]

(e) Lally and Lally, Esquires (NY) [4128]

(f) Tri County of Huntington, Inc. (NY) [4128]

(g) Craig Lally (NY) [4128]

(h) Tom Ballou (NY) [4128]

COMPLAINANTS: Robert F. Bauer, Counsel to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DC) [4128]

Claudia Doliner, Chet Szarejko, and Emily Rose Degregorio (NY) [4362]

FEC Initiated [4128]

SUBJECT: Excessive contributions; failure to accurately report loans; failure to report payments for in-kind services; failure to accurately disclose debts; corporate contribution; failure to file Statement of Candidacy timely [4362]

DISPOSITION: (a-e) Conciliation Agreement: $280,000 civil penalty*

Respondents to amend reports to properly disclose sources of loans and contributions at issue

(f) Reason to believe, but took no further action*

[re: corporate contribution]

(g-h) Took no action*

 

6. MUR 4412

RESPONDENTS: (a) Honorable Robert Torricelli (NJ)

(b) Torricelli for U.S. Senate, Inc., Stephen J. Moses, treasurer (NJ)

(c) A.B. Data, Ltd. (NJ)

COMPLAINANTS: National Republican Senatorial Committee, Craig M. Engle, General Counsel (DC)

SUBJECT: Use of contributor information

DISPOSITION: (a) No reason to believe*

(b) Conciliation Agreement: $3,000 civil penalty*

(c) Reason to believe, but took no further action*

 

7. MUR 4582 /Pre-MUR 316

RESPONDENTS: (a) Vinay Wahi (MD) (b) Dr. S. V. Ramamurthy (MD)

(c) Satish Bahl (MD) (d) Lalit Gadhia (MD)

(e) Indian-American Leadership Investment Fund, Subodh Chandra, treasurer (OH)

(f) Sachinder Gupta (MD) (g) Uday Gadhia (MD)

(h)Ashok Kumta (MD) (i) George R. Paniker (MD)

(j) Rosemary Osborne (MD) (k) Preeti Bahl (MD)

(l) Sivasubramanian Baskar (MD) (m)Arun Bedi (MD)

(n) Tanzania M. Cooper (MD) (o) Ashok Dhawan (MD)

(p)Anita L. Gadhia (MD) (q) Anu Gadhia (MD)

(r) Parvani Gadhia (MD) (s) Sonne Gowda (MD)

(t) Vikram Gowda (MD) (u) Hemanta Kole (MD)

(v) Sanjay Kumar (MD) (w) Jyoti Kumta (MD)

(x) Janet K. Mangalvedhe (MD) (y) Jay V. Mangalvedhe (MD)

(z) Mirdula K. Mehta (MD) (aa) Kishor S. Mehta (MD)

(bb) Anne T. Mileham (MD) (cc) Usha Naik (MD)

(dd) Shyam Parkash (MD) (ee) Tara C. Pathak (MD)

(ff) Pradeep J. Perera (MD) (gg) Mirmala Ramamurthy (MD)

(hh) T. P. Reddy (MD) (ii ) Tejpal Rehncy (MD) (jj) Venkatachalam Ramakrishnan (MD)

(kk) Ashok Sahni (MD) (ll) Indra Seunarine (MD)

(mm) Rayjendra K. Sharma (MD) (nn) Zubair M. Siddiqi (MD)

(oo) Harbhajan Singh (MD) (pp) Hardeep Singh (MD)

(qq) Kathleen C. Stone (MD) (rr) M. Surendra (MD)

(ss) Aruna Trivedi (MD) (tt) Sudhir Trivedi (MD)

COMPLAINANT: Sua sponte

SUBJECT: Foreign national contributions; contributions in the names of others

DISPOSITION: (a) Conciliation Agreement: $8,750 civil penalty*

(b) Conciliation Agreement: $3,500 civil penalty*

(c) Conciliation Agreement: $3,250 civil penalty*

(d) Probable cause to believe (knowing and willful), but took no further action*

[re: foreign national contributions; contributions in the names of others]

Sent admonishment letter.

(e) Reason to believe, but took no further action*

[re: foreign national contributions; contributions in the names of others]

Sent admonishment letter.

(f) Reason to believe (knowing and willful), but took no further action*

[re: contributions in the names of others]

(g) Reason to believe (knowing and willful), but took no further action*

Sent admonishment letter

(h-tt) Reason to believe, but took no further action*

[re: knowingly permitting names to be used to effect contributions in the names of others]

Sent admonishment letters

Committees needing to disgorge illegal contributions:

Committee to Elect Gary L. Ackerman, Inc. (NY) $ 3,000

Rob Andrews for Congress Committee (NJ) $ 3,000

Berman for Congress (CA) $ 2,800

Friends of Sherrod Brown (OH) $ 2,000

Ben Cardin For Congress (MD) $ 3,000

Engel For Congress (NY) $ 3,000

Friends of Congressman Fingerhut (OH) $ 1,000

Committee to Re-elect Tom Foley (WA) $ 3,000

Hamilton for Congress Committee (IN) $ 3,000

Hoyer for Congress Committee (MD) $ 3,000

Mathews for Congress (CA) $ 5,000

Friends for Jim McDermott (WA) $ 2,000

Mfume for Congress (MD) $ 3,000

Murtha for Congress (PA) $ 3,000

Robb for Senate (VA) $ 3,000

Citizens for Sarbanes (MD) $ 4,500

Dick Swett for Congress Committee (NH) $ 3,000

Citizens for Senator Wofford (PA) $ 3,500

Massachusetts Democratic State Committee Federal Funds Account $ 5,000

Indian-American Leadership Investment Fund $11,269.38

 

8. MUR 4707

RESPONDENTS: Valley Citizens for Accountability, Bruce B. Sanborn, treasurer (CA)

COMPLAINANT: FEC Initiated (RAD)

SUBJECT: Failure to file disclosure reports timely

DISPOSITION: Conciliation Agreement: $1,250 civil penalty*

 

*There are four administrative stages to the FEC enforcement process:

It requires the votes of at least four of the six Commissioners to take any action. The FEC can close a case at any point after reviewing a complaint. If a violation is found and conciliation cannot be reached, then the FEC can institute a civil court action against a respondent.

 

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