CFB Votes on Enforcement Matters for Six Campaigns and Adopts Final Rules
At a regularly scheduled meeting today, the New York City Campaign Finance Board determined that four campaigns involved in the 2013 citywide election cycle committed violations. The Board assessed penalties for those violations, determined that three campaigns are required to repay public funds, and approved a post-election public funds payment to one campaign.
The Board noted that two campaigns, the Inez Barron campaign and the Melinda Katz campaign, completed the election without committing any violations. Details of the Board’s determinations are outlined in the charts below.
The Board voted to adopt final rules to modernize and simplify some of the reporting and documentation requirements faced by campaigns, to clarify certain provisions of the Campaign Finance Act and Board Rules that may have been misunderstood, and to allow the Board to more effectively perform the audit and enforcement functions delegated to it by the Act.
Violations and Penalties
(for details, follow the link in Total Penalties column)
| Candidate (Election Cycle) |
Office | Violations | Penalty | Total Penalties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Everly Brown (2013) Program Participant: $0 in public funds received |
Borough President (Queens) | Failing to provide bank account statements | $39 | $5,041 |
| Failing to demonstrate compliance with cash receipts reporting and documentation requirements | $17 | |||
| Failing to demonstrate compliance with reporting requirements for receipts | $78 | |||
| Failing to demonstrate compliance with reporting requirements for disbursements | $78 | |||
| Failing to file disclosure statements | $3,816 | |||
| Maintaining a petty cash fund greater than $500 | $7 | |||
| Failing to report transactions | $6 | |||
| Failing to respond to the Initial Documentation Request | $500 | |||
| Failing to respond to the Draft Audit Report | $500 |
| Candidate (Election Cycle) |
Office | Violations | Penalty | Total Penalties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark Escoffery-Bey (2013) PFs: $222,408 |
Borough President (Bronx) | Failing to report bank and merchant accounts used for campaign purposes | $750 | $47,449 |
| Failing to provide bank/merchant account statements | $500 | |||
| Failing to report transactions | $313 | |||
| Failing to demonstrate compliance with reporting requirements for disbursements | $250 | |||
| Failing to demonstrate compliance with subcontractor reporting and documentation requirements | $400 | |||
| Accepting contributions from corporations, limited liability companies, or partnerships | $10,750 | |||
| Failing to report transactions | $600 | |||
| Failing to demonstrate compliance with intermediary reporting and documentation requirements | $100 | |||
| Making cash expenditures greater than $100 | $458 | |||
| Failing to demonstrate that spending was in furtherance of the campaign | $10,000 | |||
| Making impermissible post-election expenditures | $1,088 | |||
| Failing to respond to the Draft Audit Report | $22,240 |
| Candidate (Election Cycle) |
Office | Violations | Penalty | Total Penalties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Letitia James (2013) Program Participant: $1,153,058 in public funds received |
Public Advocate | Failing to provide merchant account statements | $500 | $5,705 |
| Failing to report transactions | $399 | |||
| Failing to file daily pre-election disclosure statements | $1,500 | |||
| Accepting over-the-limit contributions | $825 | |||
| Accepting contributions from corporations, limited liability companies, or partnerships | $703 | |||
| Accepting contributions from unregistered political committees | $875 | |||
| Failing to document transactions | $200 | |||
| Making impermissible post-election expenditures | $703 |
| Candidate (Election Cycle) |
Office | Violations | Penalty | Total Penalties |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adeyemi Oloruntoba (2013) Program Participant:$0 in public funds received |
City Council (District #12) | Failing to provide bank/merchant account statements | $85 | $2,335 |
| Failing to demonstrate compliance with cash receipts reporting and documentation requirements | $186 | |||
| Failing to demonstrate compliance with reporting requirements for receipts or disbursements | $254 | |||
| Accepting contributions from corporations, limited liability companies, or partnerships | $385 | |||
| Failing to document transactions | $220 | |||
| Failing to report and document basic campaign functions/activities | $170 | |||
| Failing to demonstrate that spending was in furtherance of the campaign | $35 | |||
| Failing to respond to audit documentation and information requests (Initial Documentation Request, Draft Audit Report) | $1,000 |
| Candidate (Election Cycle) |
Office | Public Funds Payment |
|---|---|---|
| Letitia James (2013) Public Advocate |
$1,153,058 | $663 |
Public Funds Repayments
| Candidate | Public Funds Received (does not reflect repayment obligation) |
Public Funds Repayment |
|---|---|---|
| Inez Barron (2013) City Council (District #42) |
$53,929 | $331 |
| Mark Escoffery-Bey (2013) Borough President (Bronx) |
$222,408 | $165,422 |
| Melinda Katz (2013) Borough President (Queens) |
$762,738 | $2,729.40 * |
* Final bank balance.
Archived video of today’s meeting and hearing is available at www.nyccfb.info/live.
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