FEC TAKES FINAL ACTION ON FIVE MATTERS
WASHINGTON – The Federal Election Commission recently made public its final action on five matters under review (MURs). In one matter, the Commission found probable cause to believe that a violation occurred, failed to resolve the matter through conciliation and obtained a consent judgment in federal court requiring payment of a $115,000 civil penalty. In another matter, the Commission declined either to find reason to believe that a violation occurred or to authorize a limited-scope investigation. In two matters, the Commission found no reason to believe violations had occurred. The Commission dismissed the fifth matter.
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.nictusa.com/eqs/searcheqs.
MUR 5549, 5559 |
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RESPONDENTS: |
Stephen Adams; Adams Outdoor Advertising, Inc.; AOA Holding LLC and Adams Outdoor Advertising, LP |
COMPLAINANT: |
Mark Brewer and FEC-initiated |
SUBJECT: |
The complaint alleged that Adams failed to include proper disclaimers on billboard advertisements and questioned whether he paid fair-market prices for billboards owned by businesses affiliated with him. The Commission further alleged that Adams failed to report an independent expenditure for an advertising campaign in a timely manner. |
OUTCOME: |
The Commission found probable cause to believe that Adams violated the Federal Election Campaign Act (the Act) by failing to make a timely report on an independent expenditure and failing to provide proper disclaimers on his campaign advertisements. Failing to settle the matter through conciliation, the Commission filed suit against Adams in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California Western Division. The litigation was settled, and the Court entered a consent judgment requiring Adams to pay a civil penalty of $115,000. |
MUR 5937 |
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RESPONDENTS: |
Romney for President, Inc. and Darrell Crate as treasurer; Kem Gardner |
COMPLAINANT: |
Greg Sabine |
SUBJECT: |
The complaint alleged that Kem Gardner made, and Romney for President, Inc. and Darrell Crate, in his official capacity as treasurer, accepted, an excessive in-kind contribution when Gardner chartered a plane to fly himself and 150 people to a fundraising event. |
OUTCOME: |
The Commission closed the file. |
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| MUR 6057 |
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RESPONDENTS:
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Jennifer Horn for Congress and Mark S. Cookson as treasurer
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COMPLAINANT: |
Grant Bosse |
SUBJECT: |
The complaint alleged that Jennifer Horn for Congress and Cookson, in his official capacity as treasurer, used general election funds to pay for campaign expenses before the primary election. |
OUTCOME: |
The Commission found no reason to believe a violation of the Act occurred because the Committee’s disclosure reports demonstrated that the Committee had sufficient cash on hand from primary receipts to cover its primary expenditures. |
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MUR 6050 |
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RESPONDENTS: |
Boswell for Congress and Carl McGuire as treasurer; and Independent Voices |
COMPLAINANT: |
Mary L. Brubaker; Jo Anne Compney; Eloise M. Cranke; Chester L. Guinn; Karla Hansen; Jean E. McCarthy; Sarai Rice; Phyllis Stevens; Nancy C. Stilliams and Susan J. Terry |
SUBJECT: |
The complaint alleged that Independent Voices, an unincorporated association organized under Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code, coordinated its communications with Boswell for Congress and McGuire, in his official capacity as treasurer, which resulted in an excessive in-kind contribution from Independent Voices to Boswell for Congress. |
OUTCOME: |
The Commission found no reason to believe that Independent Voices made an excessive in-kind contribution. The Commission also found no reason to believe that Boswell for Congress and McGuire, in his official capacity as treasurer, violated the Act by knowingly accepting and failing to report an excessive in-kind contribution. |
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MUR 6006 |
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RESPONDENTS: |
Friends of Bruce Lunsford and Karen Sensenbrenner as treasurer |
COMPLAINANTS: |
Steve Robertson, Chairman of the Republican Party of Kentucky; Republican Party of Kentucky |
SUBJECT: |
The complaint alleged that Friends of Bruce Lunsford and Sensenbrenner, in her official capacity as treasurer, failed to use a “stand-by-your-ad” disclaimer during a live interview broadcast on television. |
OUTCOME: |
The Commission dismissed the matter. |
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is an independent regulatory agency that administers and enforces federal campaign finance laws. The FEC has jurisdiction over the financing of campaigns for the U.S. House, the U.S. Senate, the Presidency and the Vice Presidency. Established in 1975, the FEC is composed of six Commissioners who are nominated by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
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