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TLDR:
Former LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has agreed to pay fines for campaign finance violations stemming from his 2018 run for sheriff. The violations involved the use of “straw donors” by a manager at a burger chain to make multiple donations to Villanueva’s campaign under the names of cooks and cashiers. The manager will pay a $50,000 fine, while Villanueva and his campaign treasurer will pay a $7,500 fine. The former sheriff has claimed that the violations were unintentional and the result of a clerical error.
Former LA County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has been fined for campaign finance violations that occurred during his 2018 run for sheriff. The violations involved the use of “straw donors” by a manager at a burger chain to make multiple donations to Villanueva’s campaign under the names of cooks and cashiers. The manager has agreed to pay a $50,000 fine, while Villanueva and his campaign treasurer will pay a $7,500 fine. Villanueva has claimed that the violations were unintentional and the result of a clerical error.
Villanueva, his campaign treasurer Cine Ivery, and restaurant manager Manuel Gomez have settled an investigation by California’s Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) into campaign finance violations. Gomez, who manages multiple Tam’s Burgers locations, used “straw donors” to contribute to Villanueva’s campaign under different names. Gomez will pay a $50,000 fine for campaign money laundering, while Villanueva and Ivery will pay a $7,500 fine for failing to include key information about Gomez’s employment on campaign finance statements.
Gomez, who manages a string of restaurants, used “straw donors” to contribute to Villanueva’s campaign. He will pay a $50,000 fine for campaign money laundering. Villanueva and his then-campaign treasurer have agreed to pay a $7,500 fine for omitting information about Gomez on campaign finance statements.
During Villanueva’s 2018 campaign, Gomez made the maximum donation of $1,500 and then used “straw donors” to make 14 additional donations of the same amount. The total amount donated by Gomez through straw donors was $21,000. The FPPC filing states that Gomez provided cash to the straw donors to reimburse them for the donations, and that many of the straw donors did not speak or write in English.
Villanueva claims that he did not know Gomez and has no knowledge of the motive behind the donations made through straw donors. The FPPC filing states that there is no evidence that Villanueva or his campaign knew about the campaign money laundering scheme.
The settlement between Villanueva, Ivery, and Gomez will be finalized after the FPPC commission votes on it on January 18. Villanueva lost his reelection bid for sheriff in 2022.
