Miami Mayor Admits to 2 Campaign Finance Violations, Will Pay $5,000 Penalty

Tomás Regalado's daughter, Miami-Dade School Board member Raquel Regalado, also admitted that they filed inaccurate reports, officials said

Miami Mayor Tomás Regalado and his daughter, Miami-Dade School Board member Raquel Regalado, admitted that they violated campaign finance law by filing inaccurate reports following the 2009 mayoral race, the Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust announced Wednesday.

The then-candidate and his daughter, who was his campaign treasurer, filed inaccurate campaign finance reports on February 10, 2010 and March 15, 2010, the Ethics Commission said.

As part of their negotiated settlement for the charges, each of the Regalados will pay $2,000 in fines for the two violations to the state’s Election Campaign Financing Trust Fund, and reimburse the Ethics Commission, the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for their investigative costs – adding up to a total financial penalty of $10,000.

“This has been looked at by several agencies, including our auditor, and we concluded that there were serious deficiencies when it came to accounting for contributions in the final report,” Ethics Commission Executive Director Joseph Centorino said in a statement. “However, we found no evidence of theft of funds and this is the appropriate means of settling that type of offense.”

He added, “It is important for all parties to realize that in any campaign, the candidate and the treasurer are ultimately responsible for the financial reports.”

The Florida Elections Commission will decide whether to give final approval for the settlement in May.

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