Office of Attorney General Martha Coakley Resolves Campaign Finance Issues with Senator Dianne Wilkerson and OCPF

FROM THE OFFICE OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL

August 01, 2008

BOSTON – The Office of Attorney General Martha Coakley has reached an agreement with State Senator Dianne Wilkerson and her campaign committee to resolve alleged campaign finance irregularities dating from 2000 to 2007, including a civil enforcement action filed in Suffolk Superior Court on September 28, 2005. The agreement, which also includes the Office of Campaign & Political Finance (OCPF) as a party, features measures to ensure that the senator and her campaign committee fully comply with campaign finance requirements in the future. In addition, under the agreement, Senator Wilkerson will pay a civil forfeiture of $10,000 out of her personal funds, and she will release $29,524 in debt that she claimed the campaign committee owed her for unreimbursed expenditures made through 2007. Her campaign committee will also disgorge $2,200 in unlawful campaign contributions received between 2000 and 2006. "This agreement should ensure that Senator Wilkerson and her campaign committee are and will be accountable in the future," said Attorney General Coakley. "Senator Wilkerson has agreed to an array of extensive public reporting and OCPF oversight measures that we hope will guarantee full compliance with campaign finance rules. We believe that this result is in the best interest of the Commonwealth at this time and given available remedies under the current law."

Under the agreement, Senator Wilkerson’s campaign must now follow a set of reporting controls to ensure future compliance. The agreement includes several requirements stricter than existing campaign finance rules governing candidates for the Legislature. The requirements include enhanced campaign finance reporting, procedures regarding expenditures and reimbursements, enhanced reporting and screening of contributions, and improved record-keeping protocols. The agreement also allows the Attorney General to bring an immediate court enforcement action upon any future violation of the agreement.

The comprehensive agreement among Senator Wilkerson, her campaign committee, the Attorney General’s Office, and OCPF resolves a variety of campaign finance matters dating back to 2000. On September 28, 2005, the Attorney General’s Office filed a civil enforcement action in Suffolk Superior Court alleging various campaign finance violations occurring in 2000-2001. OCPF alleged additional campaign finance violations occurring in 2003-2004 and referred those matters to the Attorney General’s Office for enforcement. OCPF had also initiated reviews of reimbursements and other practices occurring in 2005-2007, which formed the basis of publicly available audit letters.

Taken together, the pending lawsuit and OCPF reviews raised questions concerning the Wilkerson campaign’s record-keeping practices, apparent use of campaign funds for the personal benefits of the candidate or others, receipt of several prohibited campaign contributions, improper reimbursements of campaign funds to the candidate and others, and failure to disclose certain campaign contributions and expenditures in OCPF filings, as well as other apparent irregularities and recordkeeping and reporting violations. As part of today’s agreement, Senator Wilkerson acknowledges violation of the campaign finance laws by failing to keep proper campaign records for five years (2000-2004) and by operating her campaign committee without a properly appointed Treasurer for over two years (2002-2004). Earlier in the case, the Wilkerson Committee's Treasurer from 2000-2001, Mr. Ajibola Osinubi, had admitted violating campaign finance recordkeeping and reporting laws, and had agreed never to serve as a campaign committee treasurer again.

The agreement, which is a public record, is signed by Wilkerson, OCPF Director Michael J. Sullivan, and the Attorney General’s Office.