JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Rep. Courtney Allen Curtis is once again in the hot seat for allegedly violating several of Missouri’s campaign finance laws.
The Ferguson Democrat has been facing steep penalties from the Missouri Ethics Commission after an investigation found nine counts of various violations, the price tag of which reins in at more than $100,000.
But Curtis appealed the order back in July, saying that “a combination of a stolen campaign laptop with all of my financial records, a stolen campaign debit card, and 2 major bank errors led to discrepancies, inaccurate and late reports for which I take full responsibility for, but I will appeal to have the record accurately reflect those incidents and reduce the overall fine amount.”
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Open in new tab Curtis said he didn’t have nearly as much time as the MEC to review everything for the case, saying that the legislative session and reviewing all of the evidence led to “certain evidence that fell out of the scope of the audit timeline.”
Since then, Curtis has been back and forth with the commission, with the MEC asking Curtis to produce documents several times in the past few months, which has finally led the commission to file a motion to compel discovery response.
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The MEC sought evidence to address the statements by Curtis that “a bank error led to an allegation of commingling funds” and his assertion that banks closing several accounts led to additional counts.
As recorded in the documents filed, the MEC asked that the Administrative Hearing Commission compel Curtis to respond in advance of the hearing, or sanction him from introducing evidence at the hearing. According to the letter sent to Curtis, any response to this motion must be received by the Commission by November 29, 2017 to be considered when ruling on it.
The hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, December 12.
Benjamin Peters was a reporter for The Missouri Times and Missouri Times Magazine and also produced the #MoLeg Podcast. He joined The Missouri Times in 2016 after working as a sports editor and TV news producer in mid-Missouri. Benjamin is a graduate of Missouri State University in Springfield.
