Ethics commission votes to expand Oxendine investigation
My AJC colleague Cameron McWhirter says the state Ethics Commission this afternoon rejected a request by state Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine to drop an investigation into whether his Republican campaign for governor took $120,000 in illegal contributions.
Earlier this year, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that two Rome-based insurance companies headed by one man, Delos Yancey III, funneled the money to Oxendine through 10 political action committees in Alabama.
The PACs were set up by a man who sits on the board of directors of both companies. It is against state law for candidates to take more than $12,200 from one source and it is illegal for officials to take donations from companies they regulate.
After the story was published, Oxendine returned the money. George Anderson, a Rome-based ethics watchdog, filed a complaint with the state arguing Oxendine knew the donations were illegal when he accepted them.
Oxendine’s lawyer, Stefan Passantino, has argued before the board that Oxendine had no idea where the money had come from, even though all the PACs have the same address, the same director and were all mailed to Oxendine on the same dates.
The board unanimously voted to postpone any ruling until a later date. Not only that, the commission ruled to expand its investigation to include both the PACs and the two insurance companies, Admiral Life Insurance and State Mutual Life Insurane, said Tom Plank, interim executive secretary of the ethics commission.
In a formal statement, Oxendine campaign manager Tim Echols called the complaints “meritless,” and said:
Today the State Ethics Commission issued two rulings involving John Oxendine. Team Oxendine is pleased that the Commission dismissed a complaint regarding the campaign’s purchase and use of a campaign vehicle.
Additionally, while not dismissing a complaint regarding donations to the campaign , the commission simply stated that it needed additional information from other parties before it could dismiss the allegations and did expressly find that there are no facts currently known to the commission or the Oxendine campaign which would support a finding that there is probable cause to believe that the campaign acted in any inappropriate way….
Georgians are sick and tired of the negative attacks on John Oxendine. Every week one of John Oxendine’s opponents attempts a negative attack. They are desperate to stop his pro-family, pro-faith, pro-freedom Reagan message.
Also Thursday, the ethics commission dropped fines for late filings against former state Rep. Ron Sailor. The DeKalb County Democrat doesn’t have a lot of cash. He is serving a 63-month sentence in federal prison for bribery and other charges.
He offered to launder $375,000 for a man whom he thought was a drug dealer, but who was actually an undercover agent. While awaiting sentencing, he also defrauded an Atlanta church where he was minister by secretly taking out a $250,000 mortgage. He’s not set to get out until 2013.
My AJC colleague James Salzer adds, at Gold Dome Live, that U.S. Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) was fined $7,500 by the ethics commission, for failing to file reports showing what he did with leftover campaign money he raised while he served in the General Assembly:
Legislators who leave office cannot convert leftover campaign money to personal use. They are required to file reports detailing how the leftover money is spent until it is gone.
In his last report before the investigation began, filed in 2004, Scott reported having about $83,000 in leftover funds. After the investigation began, Scott filed a series of late reports correcting errors and showing the account had a negative balance.
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30 comments Add your comment
THE REAL Shin Jasher
October 15th, 2009
3:14 pm
And this guy is running for Governor? I know where I need to focus my attention now once this Mayor’s race wraps up.
Chris Broe
October 15th, 2009
3:18 pm
If Oxendine is the State Insurance Commisioner and he only cheated with a lousy $120G’s in campaign contributions, then we should drop the investigation. Penny Ante crooks are probably harmless, and I prefer the devil we know over the devil we dont know.
Ryan Parks
October 15th, 2009
3:28 pm
Great job Ethics Commission. Now if someone would just look into whether Lamar Willis and his tax defaults are fit to hold office.
GoOx
October 15th, 2009
3:52 pm
Before he returned the money, my man Ox point out that said that this was a hit piece by the liberal AJC. How would he know where the money came from, he has received over $1,000,000 in contributions, from many people, you can’t keep track of where every contribution came from when you have that level of broad support.
cletus T Rockafella
October 15th, 2009
5:31 pm
GoOx, your man ox is a liar, a thief and a crook. Everyone knows this. This is no hit piece, ox is a shyster. Get over it.
Warbler
October 15th, 2009
6:43 pm
Honesty is electable. Ray McBerry for governor!
Huh?
October 15th, 2009
6:43 pm
Over 10% of his contributions all came from “the same address, the same director and were all mailed to Oxendine on the same dates” and he has no clue and, according to GoOx, he “can’t keep track of” them? Sounds like just the type of smart and organized Gov. we need!
ricardo
October 15th, 2009
7:34 pm
Once a crook, always a crook. Next candidate, please.
DaveDawg 96
October 15th, 2009
7:42 pm
My man Ox is either a liar/crook or the most incompetent man alive for not knowing the nature of $120K in donations. Either way, the Oxy-MORON is not fit for any public office. (And I don’t see how the liberal AJC had anything to do with the Ox either being a liar/crook or the most incompetent man alive.)
DaveDawg 96
October 15th, 2009
7:46 pm
My man Ox is either a liar/crook or the most incompetent man alive for not knowing the nature of $120K in donations. Either way, Oxy-MORON is not fit for any public office. (And I don’t see how the liberal AJC had anything to do with the Ox either being a liar/crook or the most incompetent man alive.)
Shananeeeee Fananeeeeeee
October 15th, 2009
8:08 pm
Anita Dunn, who works for President Obama and has targeted Fox News as bad has some problems. Her favorite two philosophers are Mao Tse Tung and Mother Theresa. Mao Tse Tung? This is a man who is responsible for millions of deaths. But Fox News is bad? Okay these people are a disgrace. Anita Dunn, Van Jones, Obammy. They all admire these kind of people, Mao Tse Tung and Castro, something is wrong with these people.
PappyHappy
October 15th, 2009
8:40 pm
Glad the citizenry is getting a good look at the Oxendine family before the primary. Sure is going to make it easy!! If I were ‘Son John’, think I would be looking for a new line of work ……. NOW!
Patrick
October 15th, 2009
9:04 pm
Never fear, this state is still stupid enough to elect “Blue Light Special” Oxendine.
Go Ray!
October 15th, 2009
11:25 pm
If you want an honest man who will stand up fearlessly to Federal tyrrany on behalf of this state, vote for Ray McBerry! He’s the only real deal!! Check out http://www.georgiafirst.org
Road Scholar
October 16th, 2009
7:08 am
Chris Broe: You’ve got to be kidding!? Where there is smoke there is fire! I bet that, if he even agrees that he did wrong, he’ll say that he won’t do it again. Not as Governor, because he won’t be elected.
Political Activity Law · Georgia Ethics Commission and the Oxendine investigation
October 16th, 2009
7:26 am
[...] to this report, the Georgia Ethics Commission failed to drop an investigation into John Oxendine’s [...]
chaz
October 16th, 2009
7:30 am
He’s a crook and will not get my vote and I will also tell friends not to vote for him
chaz
October 16th, 2009
7:31 am
I agree with you Road Scholar
Josh
October 16th, 2009
7:38 am
DIdn’t AJC just publish the story on the father of the Commisioner “A Gwinnett County senior judge was kicked off the board of a nonprofit organization after the board said he had entered into an agreement to pay a fellow board member nearly $400,000 without authorization…The news comes two weeks after Gwinnett’s Superior Court judges relieved Jim Oxendine of his duties after The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported on his involvement in negotiating a land deal for a real estate developer. Superior Court rules prohibit senior judges from practicing law. I guess dishonesty runs in the family.. How can the Commisioner continue his bid after acceptign money from those he regulates- GEorgia dont make the mistake of over looking this ..what are we teaching our children?
chaz
October 16th, 2009
8:00 am
If they know what I no they should investigate him and his office
Rhonda Atlanta
October 16th, 2009
8:53 am
It is important that Georgia gets to know and elects Jeff Chapman.
Annie
October 16th, 2009
10:11 am
He is not the only candidate that need to be more carefully examined. My support is for Karen Handel–she has done amazing things as Secretary of State and in all of her roles within Fulton County. She is a true lady and I cannot wait to cast my vote for her.
professional skeptic
October 16th, 2009
10:12 am
GoOx: “Your man Ox” is a crooked politician with a crooked judge for a daddy, and he needs to start thinking about what kind of livelihood to take up after he loses the election. Georgia taxpayers are tired of paying the salaries of crooked shysters. One by one, they will be exposed for their misdeeds, then kicked out of office.
professional skeptic
October 16th, 2009
10:14 am
I’ll say it once more about ol’ Johnny and his crooked daddy: An apple never falls far from the tree.
Ethics are nice
October 16th, 2009
10:22 am
Go Ethics Commission! Kick some butt so this state can purge itself of these sleazeballs. It would also be nice to have an Attorney General who wasn’t a total suck-up. It would also be nice if the FBI would reveal it’s findings after years of skulking around in GA. Somebody, somewhere has to keep these crooks in line!
bkbroila
October 16th, 2009
6:17 pm
John Oxendine is the most Self-indulgent Moron on the face of the planet…We, Georgia’s taxpayers, furnish him at his own request a brand new car with nearly $7000 worth of upgrades every 2 years so he can, literally, drive it back and forth from home to office….He uses the State Funded Helicopter to fly to Macon and back…He thinks he is the most important person on the planet. This dork is a lying crook…Just like his father…Steal $400k from disabled people, and make a profit off a land deal of nearly $900k and the land can’t even be accessed unless GA. TAXPAYERS build a bridge that will cost us another few MILLION!!!!!!! John Oxendine…rot in hell you peice of crap…I hope the people you have hurt to gain political exposure get some sort of solace from your demise!!!
Babaloo
October 16th, 2009
7:28 pm
I am very happy that Tom Plank is the current executive secretary of the ethics commission. I think he can provide strong leadership, and he did a nice job arguing against Oxendine’s lawyer!
SWGA Politics » Blog Archive » Kyle Was Right, and Ox is Even Crazier Than I Thought
October 18th, 2009
8:35 am
[...] lie in one of its two biggest scandals so far – oh, and btw, the State Ethics Commission is still investigating that $120,000 potentially illegal campaign contribution [...]
Vickie King - Reidsville,Ga.30453
October 30th, 2009
5:03 pm
If John is wanting you to “drop” the investigation, you can bet your sweet patootie that he’s got something to hide ! The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,and he evidently was paying attention when big Daddy was passing out the lessons ! Both Oxendine men have racked up when it comes to Georgia’s taxpayer’s money.He rides around in that helicopter like he’s Batman in the Batmobile.I bet that has cost the taxpayers a pretty penny this year.! He doesn’t seem to mind that gasoline prices are a real concern for most of us .But ,of course,he doesn’t have to pay for it so he can just fly around like a moron and not worry about it.! He is so full of himself,that I wish I could buy him for what he’s worth,and sell him for what HE thinks he’s worth.! I wouldn’t have to worry about having enough money to put gas in my car anymore.! Thanks for the opportunity to vent.! You know the old saying,”you get what you pay for’!?? If you vote for John Oxendine,you are going to regret it.!!! He is a snake in the grass. Don’t say that I didn’t warn you.!!! Sign me, Mama Bear.!
battling for the wingnuts « ATLmalcontent
November 6th, 2009
5:56 pm
[...] He’s also a crook — just like Oxendine. [...]