Ehrlich Mailing May Have Violated LawProsecutor to Review Dollar-Bill Tactic By John Wagner Maryland election officials have referred to a state prosecutor a complaint about a fundraising solicitation from Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. that included real dollar bills, saying the matter warrants further investigation into whether he violated election laws. In a mailing last week, Ehrlich® wrote that he had “taken the extraordinary step of sending . . . a real dollar bill” and asked potential donors to return it along with a contribution of $25 or more for his reelection campaign. Elections officials said the tactic raises two potential problems. In Maryland, it is illegal to give people money to garner their vote. And the law requires campaign expenditures to be made by check. Under the law, the dollar bills could be construed as cash expenditures. In a letter to the state prosecutor’s office Wednesday, a State Board of Elections official wrote that “probable cause exists to warrant further investigation and possible enforcement action . . . for impermissible disbursements and giving money for the procuring of a vote.” The letter, signed by Jared DeMarinis, director of the board’s candidacy and campaign finance division, was obtained yesterday by The Washington Post. Ehrlich spokeswoman Shareese DeLeaver dismissed the matter as “ridiculous.” “We’re confident that we’ve acted within the parameters of Maryland campaign finance law,” she said, adding that Ehrlich used the same tactic four years ago. “We’re not going to comment on the fact that Bob Ehrlich’s floundering campaign is now under criminal investigation,” said Rick Abbruzzese, a spokesman for Baltimore Mayor Martin O’Malley, Ehrlich’s Democratic challenger. If the state prosecutor determines that a criminal violation has occurred, the office will forward its findings to the attorney general and a local state’s attorney. The potential violations involved with Ehrlich’s mailer carry the possibility of fines and prison time, although the latter seems unlikely, according to those familiar with the case. THe Washington Post |
