FEC Takes Final Action on Six Cases

For Immediate Release

Contact:  

Judith Ingram

May 11 , 2009

Julia Queen

FEC TAKES FINAL ACTION ON SIX CASES

WASHINGTON – The Federal Election Commission recently made public its final action on six matters under review (MURs). The Commission found no reason to believe violations occurred in one case and reached no consensus on a reason-to-believe finding concerning part of the allegations in another case.  It dismissed three cases and closed the file in the remaining case.

Under the law, the FEC must attempt to resolve its enforcement cases, or MURs, through a confidential investigative process that may lead to a negotiated conciliation agreement between the Commission and the individual or group.Additional information regarding MURs can be found on the FEC web site at http://www.fec.gov/em/mur.shtml.

This release contains only summary information.For additional details, please consult publicly available documents for each case in the Enforcement Query System (EQS) on the FEC web site at http://eqs.fec.gov/eqs/searcheqs.

MUR 5988

RESPONDENTS:

American Future Fund

COMPLAINANT:

Minnesota Democratic-Farm-Labor Party and Brian Melendez, Chair

SUBJECT:

The complaint alleged the American Future Fund aired a television advertisement advocating the reelection of Senator Norm Coleman (MN) and as a consequence was required to register and report as a political committee with the FEC, file an independent expenditure report and include disclaimers in the advertisement.

OUTCOME:

The Commission found no reason to believe the American Future Fund violated the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971, as amended (the Act), by failing to register and report as a political committee. The Commission closed the file on the remaining allegations.

MUR 6049

RESPONDENTS:

Kosmas for Congress and Trudy Duffy as Treasurer; Democratic Executive Committee of Florida and Rudy Parker as Treasurer

COMPLAINANT:

Clinton Eugene Curtis

SUBJECT:

The complaint alleged Kosmas for Congress and Duffy, in her official capacity as treasurer, violated the Act and FEC regulations by accepting and failing to disclose in-kind party expenditures from the Democratic Executive Committee of Florida in excess of the $42,100 coordinated party expenditure limit. The complaint also alleged the Kosmas committee allowed staff members to misrepresent themselves as state party committee employees in order to advocate for the candidate’s election. The complaint alleged further that the Democratic Executive Committee of Florida and Parker, in his official capacity as treasurer, violated the Act by making and failing to report excessive coordinated party expenditures on behalf of Kosmas for Congress.  Kosmas was a candidate in the Democratic primary election for Florida’s 24th Congressional District.

OUTCOME:

The Commission found no reason to believe the alleged violations occurred because the total amount of the coordinated party expenditures did not exceed the limit, and there was no allegation that any information conveyed by the respondents was damaging to the Florida Democratic Party. The Commission dismissed the allegation that the Democratic Executive Committee of Florida failed to report properly the coordinated party expenditures to the FEC and closed the file.

MUR 5990

RESPONDENTS:

Citizens for Matt Shaner and Peter Hill as Treasurer

COMPLAINANTS:

S. Charles Picardi

SUBJECT:

The complaint alleged Citizens for Matt Shaner and Hill, in his official capacity as treasurer, violated the Act by using individual donor information from the Commission’s web site to solicit campaign contributions. Shaner was a candidate in the Republican primary election for a Congressional seat in Pennsylvania’s 5th District.

OUTCOME:

The Commission dismissed the case and sent a letter to the committee and its treasurer cautioning them to take steps to ensure that the committee’s conduct complies with the Act and Commission regulations.

MUR 6013

RESPONDENTS:

Peter Teahen; Friends of Peter Teahen and Jeffrey Elgin in his official capacity as treasurer; and Teahen Funeral Home, Inc.

COMPLAINANT:

Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Chris Van Hollen, Chairman

SUBJECT:

The complaint alleged that the funeral home headed by Teahen, the candidate in the Republican primary election in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District, made prohibited corporate in-kind contributions to Teahen''''s campaign committee in the form of television advertisements featuring Teahen that were coordinated with the candidate and broadcast within 90 days of the primary.

OUTCOME:

The Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the matter.

MUR 5991

RESPONDENTS:

U. S. Term Limits, Inc.

COMPLAINANT:

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and Melanie Sloan, Executive Director; and Doug Staggs

SUBJECT:

The complaint alleged that U.S. Term Limits, Inc., a Section 501(c)(4) organization, failed to file within 48 hours of making an independent expenditure and failed to include an audio statement conveying that U.S. Term Limits, Inc. was responsible for the content of advertising posted on YouTube.

OUTCOME:

The Commission exercised its prosecutorial discretion and dismissed the matter.