Campaign or personal expenses?

bkrueger — Tue, 15 May 2007 15:04:37 -0400

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, the elections board investigator, 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 subject to hearings this week 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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Campaign or personal expenses?