An investigator with the state elections board testified this afternoon that state Rep. Thomas Wright may have used as much as $250,000 in campaign contributions for his personal use over the past six years.
Kim Strach testified that a review of Wright’s bank records found that money contributed to his campaign was spent on purchases from places such as Victoria’s Secret, Circuit City, Home Depot and Sears, Andy Curliss reports.
Strach testified that Wright also spent campaign contributions on airline tickets, gas and hotel rooms.
But Strach also noted that until Oct. 1, state law allowed campaigns to spend money on anything they wanted as long as the expenditures were disclosed. She said it was not clear if some of the expenditures were campaign-related.
Wright, a New Hanover County Democrat, is one of two lawmakers who are the subject of hearings by the State Board of Elections into campaign finance irregularities. Wright declined to testify this morning, citing the Fifth Amendment. State and federal law enforcement authorities were monitoring the proceedings.
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Strach testified that she examined all of Wright's personal and campaign finance records from 2000-06. She said her tally showed that Wright had received $472,771 in campaign receipts during that period and $189,194 in personal receipts such as his part-time legislative salary. Strach said she could find no signs of any other income other than a small consulting fee Wright received.
Strach said she was able to identify almost $230,000 in expenditures that were clearly campaign related. She said that left another $411,000 in expenditures that were either personal in nature or which she could not determine its purpose.
Larry Leake, chairman of the elections board, asked Strach if she was saying that Wright had converted a quarter of a million dollars in campaign money to his personal use. Strach said that appeared to the be case.
Strach also testified that Wright’s bank records indicated he had received direct contributions from corporations, which is not allowed under state law.
