For Immediate Release
At a regularly scheduled meeting today, the New York City Campaign Finance Board determined that ten campaigns involved in the 2013 citywide election cycle committed violations and assessed penalties. The Board determined that four campaigns from the 2013 elections must repay public funds and that one campaign will receive a post-election public funds payment. In addition, the Board determined that one campaign from the 2009 election cycle committed violations and assessed penalties. Details of the Board’s determinations are outlined in the charts below.
The Board dedicated the agency’s board room to former Board Chair Father Joseph A. O’Hare, S.J., in a ceremony following the meeting. Father O’Hare was the Board’s founding chair, a position he held through 2003.
Current Board Chair Rose Gill Hearn said: “It is befitting that we name this new boardroom, where the business of this important institution will be carried out, after Fr. O’Hare. Fr. O’Hare helped shape the agency through his integrity, fairness and intelligence, and his imprint is still present in the work of the agency. For those of us who strive to follow in your footsteps; for the candidates and voters who benefit from the program you brought into existence; and for the city campaign finance process that is now more open and trustworthy because of your efforts; we are all in your debt. It is my great honor and pleasure to decidate this room to you Father O’Hare.”
Details about the dedication ceremony are available here.
Archived video of today’s meeting is available at www.nyccfb.info/live.
Violations and Penalties
(for details, follow the link in Total Penalties column)
| Candidate | Violation / Penalty | Total Penalties | |
|
Carlton Berkley Program Participant: |
Failing to provide bank statements | $194 | $2,865 |
| Failing to demonstrate compliance with cash receipts reporting and documentation requirements | $104 | ||
| Failing to demonstrate compliance with reporting requirements for receipts and disbursements | $290 | ||
| Failing to file a disclosure statement | $290 | ||
| Accepting contributions from corporations, limited liability companies, or partnerships | $687 | ||
| Failing to document transactions | $78 | ||
| Failing to report and document basic campaign functions/activities | $194 | ||
| Making cash expenditures greater than $100 | $28 | ||
| Failing to respond to the Initial Documentation Request | $500 | ||
| Failing to respond to the Draft Audit Report | $500 | ||
| Candidate | Violation / Penalty | Total Penalties | |
|
Robert Cornegy, Jr.
Program Participant: |
Failing to provide bank account statements | $500 | $1,550 |
| Filing a late disclosure statement | $375 | ||
| Accepting an over-the-limit contribution | No Penalty | ||
| Accepting a contribution from a corporation | $250 | ||
| Failing to document a transaction | $100 | ||
| Failing to demonstrate that spending was in furtherance of the campaign | $100 | ||
| Making impermissible post-election expenditures | $225 | ||
| Candidate | Violation | Total Penalties | |
|
Laurie Cumbo Program Participant: |
Failing to file daily pre-election disclosure statements |
$100 | $9,279 |
| Accepting an over-the-limit contribution | $1,016 | ||
| Accepting contributions from corporations, limited liability companies, or partnerships | $450 | ||
| Failing to document transactions | $200 | ||
| Maintaining a petty cash fund greater than $500 | $707 | ||
| Exceeding the expenditure limit | $6,806 | ||
| Candidate | Violation / Penalty | Total Penalties | |
|
Miguel Estrella Program Participant: |
Failing to report transactions | $203 | $15,764 * |
| Failing to demonstrate compliance with cash receipts reporting and documentation requirements | $970 | ||
| Failing to demonstrate compliance with receipts and disbursements reporting requirements | $957 | ||
| Failing to file a disclosure statement | $478 | ||
| Accepting an over-the-limit contribution | $258 | ||
| Accepting contributions from corporations, limited liability companies, or partnerships | $1,723 | ||
| Failing to report and document basic campaign functions or activities | $319 | ||
| Failing to demonstrate that spending was in furtherance of the campaign | VNP | ||
| Converting campaign funds to a personal use | $856 | ||
| Material misrepresentation and fraud | $10,000 | ||
| Breach of certification | N/A | ||
* Aside from the penalties for conversion and material misrepresentation and fraud, penalties were capped at 15% of the Campaign’s aggregate expenditures because of the size of the Campaign and the fact that it did not receive public funds.
| Candidate | Violation / Penalty | Total Penalties | |
|
Mathieu Eugene City Council District 40 |
Failing to provide bank statements | $2,250 | $4,221 |
| Accepting over-the-limit donations | $1,971 | ||
| Candidate | Violation / Penalty | Total Penalties | |
|
Alan Gerson Program Participant: $0 |
Accepting over-the-limit doing business contributions | $2,250 | $49,948 |
|
Failing to accurately report disbursements, resulting in a 17.13% variance |
$200 | ||
| Failing to properly report and account for loans and loan repayments | $2,000 | ||
| Accepting over-the-limit contributions | $10,000 | ||
| Failing to report an in-kind contribution | $20 | ||
| Accepting contributions from corporations, limited liability companies, or partnerships | $550 | ||
| Accepting a contribution from an unregistered political committee | $750 | ||
| Failing to accurately report specific transactions | $40 | ||
| Exceeding the expenditure limit | $30,912 | ||
| Maintaining a petty cash fund greater than $500 | $230 | ||
| Failing to respond timely to a request for post-election audit documentation | $200 | ||
| Failing to respond to the Draft Audit Report | $2,796 | ||
| Candidate | Violation / Penalty | Total Penalties | |
|
Sara Gonzalez Program Participant: |
Failing to report transactions | $79 | $806 |
| Accepting over-the-limit contributions | $125 | ||
| Accepting contributions from unregistered political committees | $375 | ||
| Failing to document a transaction | $100 | ||
| Failing to demonstrate that spending was in furtherance of the campaign | $127 | ||
| Candidate | Violation / Penalty | Total Penalties | |
|
Erlene King Program Participant: |
Failing to report merchant account used for campaign purposes | $250 | $2,907 |
| Failing to provide merchant account statements | $500 | ||
| Failing to demonstrate compliance with cash receipts reporting and documentation requirements | $712 | ||
| Failing to demonstrate compliance with reporting requirements for receipts | $250 | ||
| Filing a late disclosure statement | $50 | ||
| Making a cash expenditure greater than $100 | $50 | ||
| Failing to demonstrate that spending was in furtherance of the campaign | $180 | ||
| Late response to Initial Documentation Request and Draft Audit Report | $915 | ||
| Candidate | Violation / Penalty | Total Penalties | |
|
Constantinos Prentzas
Program Participant: |
Maintaining a 4.67% reporting variance | $125 | $11,821 |
| Filing two late disclosure statements | $250 | ||
| Failing to file daily pre-election disclosure statements | $150 | ||
| Accepting contributions from corporations | $11,046 | ||
| Accepting contributions from an unregistered political committee | $250 | ||
| Candidate | Violation / Penalty | Total Penalties | |
|
James Van Bramer Program Participant: |
Accepting over-the-limit contributions | $2,575 | $2,925 |
| Accepting three contributions from corporations | $350 | ||
| Candidate | Violation / Penalty | Total Penalties | |
|
Sidique Wai
Program Participant: |
Failing to provide merchant account statements | $317 | $5,856 |
| Accepting over-the-limit contributions | $3,333 | ||
| Accepting contributions from corporations or limited liability corporations | $1,371 | ||
| Failing to demonstrate compliance with intermediary reporting and documentation requirements | No Penalty | ||
| Failing to document loans | $102 | ||
| Converting campaign funds to a personal use | $733 | ||
| Failing to demonstrate that spending was in furtherance of the campaign | No Penalty | ||
Public Funds Repayments
| Candidate |
Public Funds Received (does not reflect repayment obligation) |
Public Funds Repayment |
|
Laurie Cumbo |
$92,400 | $486.45* |
|
Sara Gonzalez |
$92,400 | $33,381.68* |
|
Louis Liedy, Jr. |
$66,870 | $5,603 |
|
Constantinos Prentzas Candidate, 2013 City Council (District #22) |
$92,400 | $18,261 |
* Reflects funds remaining in campaign bank account.
Public Funds Payment
| Candidate |
Public Funds Received (before 3/17/2016) |
Public Funds Payment (Authorized on 4/14/2016) |
|
Erlene King |
$43,260 | $12,093* |
* Net of public funds payment minus penalties owed.