Former Republican Senate candidate Christine O’Donnell and her campaign committee have been fined for using campaign funds to pay her rent, a federal judge has ruled.
The Federal Election Commission first filed a lawsuit against O’Donnell last September, claiming that she improperly used at least $20,000 in campaign contributions to pay bills at a Delaware townhouse that also served as her 2010 campaign headquarters.
At the time, Judge Leonard Stark concluded that O’Donnell had in fact violated the Federal Election Campaign Act. Now, on April 19, she has officially been ordered to pay several thousand dollars in penalties.
The court has mandated that O’Donnell will disgorge $5,701.85, an estimate of the benefit she received from her violations plus prejudgment interest, and pay a penalty of $25,000, which is jointly payable by O’Donnell and her committee.