Former NY City comptroller Liu fined $26K for mayoral campaign violations

Former city comptroller John Liu received $26,059 in fines from the New York City Campaign Finance Board related to a straw-donor scandal during his 2013 run for mayor.

The board voted Thursday to fine Liu even though he never received any campaign funds. Liu finished fourth in a five-way Democratic primary for mayor that Bill de Blasio won en route to his election.

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John Liu, New York City comptroller, speaks during a television interview in New York, U.S., on Friday, April 9, 2010. Liu said yesterday New York City and state officials should consider higher taxes on Wall Street bonuses in the face of deficits and shrinking revenue. Photographer: Jonathan Fickies/Bloomberg *** Local Caption *** John Liu

Liu campaign treasurer Jenny Hou and fundraiser Oliver Pan were convicted of federal wire fraud charges, though Liu himself was never charged.

Roughly three-quarters, or $20,000, of Thursday’s fine was for what the board called “material representation and fraud.”

Other categories included failing to demonstrate compliance with intermediary reporting and documentation requirements; accepting contributions from corporations, limited liability companies, or partnerships; failing to document transactions; accepting over-the-limit contributions; and accepting a contribution from an unregistered political committee.

“[The] $26,000 fine imposed now 4 years after-the-fact is a laughable pittance compared to the $3.5 million penalty unjustly imposed on my campaign five weeks before the election in 2013,” Liu said in a statement to media.

Liu, a former City Council member from Queens, was comptroller from 2010 to 2013.

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Law and regulation City of New York, NY New York
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