Kris Alingod - AHN Contributor
Washington, D.C. (AHN) - The Rev. Al Sharpton owes the Federal Election Commission (FEC) nearly $500,000 in fines because he accepted illegal donations during his 2004 presidential campaign, according to the New York Post.
Citing federal investigators, the Post said Sharpton "virtually made no effort" to record details of payments, and that there was little to distinguish the financial activities of the civil rights leader's private businesses, 2004 campaign, and National Action Network.
The amount of financial misstatements may be as high as $735,314 but only $486,803 could be proven by federal auditors, who spent a year conducting the investigation.
During his run for the Democratic presidential nomination four years ago, Sharpton exceeded limits to campaign expenditures required in exchanged for receiving $100,000 in federal matching funds. He returned the amount in installments in 2005.
Sharpton has told the New York Daily News, "If I was a senator or a congressman, and I operated between Washington and my home district and went on foreign trips, they would say, 'You're doing your job.' But ... if I travel for the National Action Network ... they're charging that to the campaign... Why is it a different rule for me?"
The National Legal and Policy Center (NLPC), which filed two complaints with the FEC against Sharpton in 2003 and 2004, said in a statement from its chair, Ken Boehm, " We are delighted that the FEC has finally acted on our allegation that Sharpton ran an 'off the books' presidential campaign. As we documented, the irregularities in the financing of his campaign were extensive."
Boehm added, "Al Sharpton is notorious for not paying his bills. The FEC must utilize all legal means at its disposal to recover this money."
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