Former Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray and his campaign committee have agreed to pay a total of $80,000 to resolve allegations that he accepted contributions unlawfully solicited by state employees on his behalf, according to Attorney General Martha Coakley and the Office of Campaign and Political Finance.
In the disposition agreement entered today with the Attorney General’s Office and OCPF, the lieutenant governor admitted that he did not exercise proper oversight to prevent two different public employees from soliciting illegal campaign contributions on his behalf in connection with fundraising events in the Merrimack Valley and Worcester area. The illegal contributions uncovered during the investigation and allegedly received by his committee totaled approximately $50,000
Under the terms of the disposition, Murray, who now leads the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce after resigning in June, will refund the full $50,000 in contributions to the Committee and pay a penalty of $30,000, including $10,000 from his personal funds, to the Commonwealth. The total payment shall be paid within fourteen days. In addition, Murray will dissolve his political committee and will not serve as an officer or other fundraising-related employee of any political committee for a period of two years.
“Based on our investigation, we allege that two separate public employees unlawfully solicited tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions for the former Lieutenant Governor,” Coakley said in a statement. “The Lieutenant Governor will now pay back those contributions as well as pay a significant fine.
In January 2012, allegations surfaced that Michael McLaughlin, the former executive director of the Chelsea Housing Authority who was indicted today, had engaged in illegal fundraising for the benefit of the Murray campaign. Murray wrote to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) requesting that it investigate the allegations. In September 2012, OCPF referred allegations of violations of campaign finance law to the AG’s office which began its own investigation.
As part of the agreement, Murray acknowledges that during his 2006 campaign for Lieutenant Governor, he actively sought the support of Michael McLaughlin. As a compensated public employee, McLaughlin was barred from fundraising activities. Regardless, McLaughlin became a field representative and liaison for the Murray campaign. The AG’s investigation determined that McLaughlin helped organize three separate fundraisers held in Methuen between 2008 and 2010, introducing Murray to supporters, and ultimately soliciting tens of thousands of dollars. In the disposition, Murray has admitted that he failed to exercise reasonable care to ensure that the contributions were not unlawfully solicited or received by McLaughlin, in violation of campaign finance laws.
In addition, the Murray campaign acknowledges that a supervisory employee of the Department of Transportation helped organize and solicit donations as part of three fundraisers in the Worcester area between 2008 and 2010. As a result of those fundraisers, numerous DOT employees made contributions to Murray’s campaign. In the disposition, Murray again admitted that he failed to exercise reasonable care to ensure that the contributions were not unlawfully solicited, in violation of campaign finance laws.
