The Muriel Bowser for Mayor Committee has been fined $13,000 for excessive campaign donations during the mayor’s run for office in 2014.
The Office of Campaign Finance ordered the fine and said the committee also needed to file amended reports reflecting any refunds of the excessive contributions. The office’s investigation found 13 instances of excessive contributions to the campaign.
The order said the mayor’s committee cooperated during the investigation and already voluntarily refunded the contributions to the individual donors. The excessive donations totaled $11,771, which was less than 0.3 percent of the campaign total for contributions received.
Under the D.C. Official Code, such violations will result in a fine of $2,000 per violation. However, because of the campaign’s actions in refunding and cooperation, the hearing officer, William SanFord, recommended those fines to be cut in half.
Bowser raised about $3 million in her successful 2014 bid to unseat then-Mayor Vincent Gray. She is expected to announced her 2018 reelection bid in the coming weeks.
The order can be appealed to the Board of Elections.
