Tim Eyman fined $2.6 million for ‘numerous, egregious’ violations of campaign finance laws
Feb 10, 2021, 2:51 PM | Updated: Feb 11, 2021, 6:37 am
Anti-tax activist Tim Eyman. (AP)
(AP)
A Thurston County Superior Court judge issued a ruling Wednesday, fining anti-tax activist Tim Eyman over $2.6 million for “numerous and egregious” violations of campaign finance laws, and barring him from managing any and all finances for political committees.
AG Ferguson: Tim Eyman spending lavishly despite bankruptcy
The case brought by the state against Eyman — originally filed in 2017 by Attorney General Bob Ferguson — alleged that Eyman had received kickbacks from donors contributing money to his initiatives, and then used that money for personal gain.
#BREAKING: Court finds Tim Eyman intentionally violated campaign finance laws by paying himself hundreds of thousands of dollars in kickbacks. Judge issues penalty of $2.6M – largest ever against an individual – and bars Eyman from directing political committees’ finances.
— Washington State Attorney General (@AGOWA) February 10, 2021
The judge affirmed those allegations Wednesday, finding that Eyman had enacted a “scheme” to funnel kickbacks to himself through signature-gathering campaigns. The state’s case highlighted one particular instance where Eyman had overpaid a signature-gathering firm called Citizen Solutions, which then funneled $308,000 back to his company for so-called “consulting” work.
In a statement from Ferguson issued shortly after Wednesday’s ruling, the state Attorney General said that “Eyman’s day of reckoning has arrived.”
“After years of Tim Eyman’s deceit, obstruction, and contempt of court, we took him to trial and held him accountable for receiving and concealing illegal kick-backs,” he detailed.
Ferguson also noted that this won’t preclude Eyman from drafting and promoting initiatives, focusing solely on limiting his ability to direct finances for those campaigns.
Why Tim Eyman’s $30 car tab initiatives keep getting struck down
Eyman was previously banned from serving as treasurer for initiative campaigns following a ruling in a separate 2002 court case. For this most recent litigation, the state asked the court to enact more stringent restrictions, claiming that Eyman “continued to act as the de facto treasurer for political committees even though he was not named treasurer” in the years to follow.
In 2018, Eyman filed for bankruptcy in hopes of protecting his assets from court proceedings.
