Campaign Committee Reports $190K in Refunds and $50K Payment to Attorney

Federal campaign filings released this week show the committee refunded $189,681 to contributors and spent $106,427 on operating expenses during the second quarter. The filings list the committee with just over $11,000 remaining. The same documents report a $50,000 payment to a defense attorney and note $17,893.35 in previously unreported checks.

The committee stated it could not identify the recipients or purposes of those checks because the former treasurer died in 2023.

State ethics investigators are examining more than $300,000 in payments made to the same attorney from a separate gubernatorial committee. The federal filings also list routine expenses including service charges to Apple, Verizon Wireless, and Starlink.

The committee reported that the unreported checks were recorded to reconcile and close long-abandoned bank accounts. Neither the committee nor the attorney responded to requests for comment.