Administrative judge orders $17,250 against candidate for using campaign funds for personal expenses

An administrative judge at the Office of State Administrative Hearings has ordered former candidate Khadija Abdulrahman to pay $17,250 in civil penalties after finding multiple campaign-finance violations, staff told the Government Transparency & Campaign Finance Commission on Dec. 13.

Staff said the OSA judge concluded that Abdulrahman failed to file or timely file six election-year CCDRs, failed to file two non-election-year CCDRs, accepted pre-DOI contributions, failed to disclose multiple campaign expenditures (several exceeding $100), and repeatedly used campaign funds for purposes that the judge found were not ordinary and necessary campaign expenses. The judge’s written order, entered in September, also noted evidence suggesting the respondent used her campaign account for personal expenses.

Importantly, the judge ordered that the $17,250 civil penalty be paid from Abdulrahman’s personal funds rather than campaign funds, a remedy staff said was tied to evidence of commingling and conversion of campaign funds.

Staff said the decision had become final after the commission did not act within the 30-day window to alter or appeal the order. The AG’s office and staff had anticipated collection steps if the respondent did not cooperate with payment requirements.

Quote: "This appeared to essentially be that the respondent was using her campaign account as a personal account," a staff presenter said, summarizing the judge’s findings.

Next steps: staff indicated the AG’s office will pursue collection if necessary and that the commission will monitor compliance.