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 | | From: | Yez | | Subject: | S.D. political consultant pays fine | | Date: | 17 Dec 2004 12:51:11 GMT |
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 | S.D. political consultant pays $7,500 fine to state
Money-laundering case dates to 1997
By Caitlin Rother
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
December 16, 2004
Lisa Ross-Woolson, who managed county Supervisor Ron Roberts'
unsuccessful run for mayor, has paid a $7,500 fine for participating
in a campaign money-laundering scheme by a local political
consultant.
Ross-Woolson is the third person fined in a scheme the state says was
masterminded in 1997 and 1998 by Colin Flaherty, whose biggest client
at the time was Carlsbad builder Barratt American Homes.
"This concludes our action with regard to the money laundering in the
Flaherty (case)," Sigrid Bathen, spokeswoman for the state Fair
Political Practices Commission, said yesterday.
The commission fined Flaherty $76,000 in September 2003. Flaherty,
who has denied wrongdoing, has not paid his fine, so the commission
is going after it through a state collection process.
Flaherty operated a political consulting firm, Flaherty
Communications, out of Encinitas. He has relocated to Riverside
County and did not respond to a message left on his voice mail
yesterday.
Flaherty was fined for arranging to have 11 friends, family members
and employees make campaign contributions in San Diego and Riverside
counties. He subsequently made payments to them for the amount of
their contributions.
Ross-Woolson, a friend of Flaherty's who was working for him at the
time, was accused of making five campaign contributions totaling $475
to candidates in San Marcos and Perris in Riverside County, and then
being reimbursed by Flaherty.
She initially told state investigators that she did not participate
in the scheme.
"However, after re-examining the actual records regarding the
reimbursements, (she) recanted her prior statements, acknowledged
that the reimbursements were for those campaign contributions, and
cooperated in resolving this matter," a commission report said.
Ross-Woolson, a self-employed media consultant, was one of five
candidates for San Diego's 1st District City Council seat in 2000.
She came in third in the primary, losing to Linda Davis and Scott
Peters. Peters eventually won and was re-elected last month.
Ross-Woolson said she would pay the $7,500 fine in an agreement
approved by the commission last week. She could have been fined as
much as $10,000. She did not respond to a message left on her
answering machine yesterday.
Roberts, who came in third in the San Diego mayoral race, declined to
comment on Ross-Woolson's fine.
Arthur J. Johnston III, a longtime Flaherty friend and a self-
employed marketing consultant, agreed in June to pay a $6,000 fine.
Johnston, who has paid his fine, could not be reached for comment.
Johnston, who faced a maximum fine of $12,000, was accused of making
six contributions, two for $99 to candidates in Encinitas, three for
$95 to candidates in Perris, and one for $250 to a political
committee in Riverside County.
Johnston initially denied any involvement to state investigators. But
in a third interview, he admitted he had been reimbursed and "showed
remorse for his conduct," a commission report said.
"He further admitted that Flaherty offered to reimburse him at the
same time that Flaherty solicited the contributions," the report
said.
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| | From: | Yez | | Subject: | Re: S.D. political consultant pays fine | | Date: | 17 Dec 2004 13:09:02 GMT |
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| Yez wrote on sdnet.eats:
[snip inappropriate verbage]
Ooops, I'm sorry, I left clicked on the wrong group, I don't know what
any of the folks in the article had for lunch either but we do have a
new California's Taco (said to be the inventors of carne asada fries)
Shop out here in El Cajon, haven't eaten there yet though.
'rena
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