As Bill Eigel campaigns for St. Charles County Executive, his fundraising operation is once again under scrutiny following a Missouri Ethics Commission consent order finding probable cause that his former gubernatorial campaign violated state campaign finance law.
The commission found Eigel’s campaign improperly reported duplicate contributions and accepted anonymous contributions in excess of Missouri law. Under the consent order, Eigel and his former campaign committee agreed to a $2,000 civil penalty, which may be reduced to $200 if no further campaign finance violations occur within the next two years. Eigel signed the agreement on July 17, and the commission approved the order July 22.
The Ethics Commission action is the latest in a series of questions that have arisen over Eigel’s fundraising practices in recent years.
During Eigel’s 2024 campaign for governor, President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign sent a cease-and-desist letter to BILL PAC, a political action committee supporting Eigel, and its fundraising vendor.
The Trump campaign alleged fundraising solicitations used Trump’s name and likeness without authorization while encouraging supporters to “Stand with Trump.” According to the letter, donors were led to believe they were supporting Trump’s campaign when contributions instead went to BILL PAC.
Eigel responded at the time by saying any issues involved organizations outside of his campaign while reiterating his support for Trump.
The issue resurfaced after Eigel entered the race for St. Charles County Executive.
Investigative reporting examined recurring donations made by out-of-state contributors, including Russell Wood, a 92-year-old Korean War veteran from Nebraska.
Wood told reporters he believed he had made a one-time contribution supporting conservative causes before discovering he had made dozens of recurring donations totaling more than $1,000 to Eigel’s political committees. He also said he had never heard of Eigel and had never been to St. Charles County.
The reporting also found that more than 140 contributors who had made recurring donations during Eigel’s gubernatorial campaign continued making contributions to his county executive campaign. Campaign finance reports showed that most of Eigel’s itemized donors were from outside Missouri, with only a small number residing in St. Charles County.
During an interview with journalist Mark Maxwell, Eigel said Wood’s contributions had been refunded. However, a review of Missouri Ethics Commission campaign finance reports by The Missouri Times did not identify a reported refund to Wood.
The recurring donation issue also prompted action in Jefferson City.
State Rep. Jim Murphy introduced legislation prohibiting campaigns from enrolling contributors in recurring donations without affirmative consent and requiring political solicitations to clearly identify who is receiving campaign contributions.
Murphy said the legislation was introduced following reporting on recurring donations made to Eigel’s campaign. The measure was approved by the General Assembly and later signed into law by Gov. Mike Kehoe.
According to the consent order, the Missouri Ethics Commission found Eigel’s campaign reported 268 itemized contributions on its April 2023 quarterly report, including 113 duplicate contribution entries. The duplicate entries were removed through an amended report filed in July 2024.
The commission also found the campaign reported receiving $21,369.72 in anonymous contributions on its July 2023 quarterly report. Those anonymous contributions were later removed through an amended report filed in January 2025.
The consent order states the commission found probable cause to believe Eigel and his campaign violated Missouri campaign finance reporting law before the parties agreed to resolve the matter through the settlement. Under the agreement, Eigel and his campaign committee must comply with Missouri campaign finance laws going forward, and any additional violations within two years could trigger payment of the full civil penalty.
The Ethics Commission ruling marks the latest instance in which Eigel’s fundraising operation has come under scrutiny, following previous disputes involving fundraising solicitations, recurring online donations, and legislative efforts to regulate those practices.
Jake Kroesen serves as the Editor of the Missouri Times. He hails from Independence, Missouri and enjoys all things Jackson County. A graduate of UCM, he obtained his degree in Political Science.
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