State Representative Angus McKelvey, D-West Maui, is in hot water over irregularities with his 2014 campaign spending, according to complaint filed last week by the state Attorney General’s office and numerous media reports. The AG’s office filed the complaint on Oct. 13 in District Court in Honolulu; Hawaii News Now broke the story three days later.
The first count alleges that McKelvey, “On or about July 10 and 30, 2014, and August 1, 2014… did recklessly file candidate committee reports that were not complete and accurate, to wit, a first preliminary primary report and two amended first preliminary primary reports that did not report all contributions and expenditures.” Hawaii News Now pegged the sum of unreported campaign contributions at $33,000, and The Maui News reported on Oct. 18 that McKelvey said his former campaign treasurer–who has since told the Campaign Spending Commission that he accepts full responsibility–filed the bad reports.
The second count alleged that “On or about January 10, 2014, to and including June 5, 2014… [McKelvey] recklessly allowed a person who was not the treasurer and/or deputy treasurer of his campaign committee, to wit Joan McKelvey [Angus’ mother], to receive contributions and/or to make and/or incur expenditures on behalf of the campaign committee.”
That, McKelvey explained (according to The Maui News), was due to “checks being cut and reimbursements not being done properly.” McKelvey’s campaign spending records also show that in the first half of 2014, his campaign paid Joan $7,000 for “services rendered” for the campaign.
In any case, both counts are misdemeanors. Though there’s an outside chance he could get jail time for them, McKelvey expressed deep remorse to The Maui News and said he’s working things out with the Attorney General.
“I’m working with the AG’s office to reach a settlement,” McKelvey said in The Maui News. “I apologize that things led up to this complaint. I’m hoping to settle this with the attorney general’s office in a proper manner. I apologize to the community that there’s any embarrassment on this.”
Photo of Joan McKelvey in 2001: MauiTime
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