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BOISE, Idaho (AP) — The Idaho attorney general has charged a state House candidate and another Republican involved in a highly scrutinized political action committee with hiding the source of campaign contributions.
M.C. "Chick" Heileson and Bonneville County GOP Chairman Doyle Beck were charged with one misdemeanor each Friday. Attorney General Lawrence Wasden's office contends Beck and Heileson "knowingly and willfully" violated the state's campaign finance law — which is punishable by up to six months of jail time.
Wasden's office has been investigating the Integrity in Government PAC, based in northern Idaho, since February after questions were raised about the group's contributions. Both Wasden and an eastern Idaho couple passed along complaints regarding the PAC's activities to Secretary of State Lawerence Denney's office earlier this year.
Heileson currently is running against longtime Republican state Rep. Dell Raybould for the District 34B seat. The tea party-affiliated candidate had unsuccessful attempts to oust U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson in the GOP primaries of 2010 and 2012.
Concern focused particularly on Heileson's donation of $12,000 made on May 7, 2014. Heileson filed a congressional financial disclosure report two years prior that stated his household income totaled less than $30,000 a year — the primary source coming from Social Security.
"I haven't donated very much in the past, but I wanted to support these six guys back then," Heileson said Tuesday, referring to the six tea party-leaning candidates running for state office. "I didn't even think of contributing individually. I just knew PACs had more freedom."
Heileson confirmed he made the donation to the secretary of state's office in January by handwriting "Yes I did" on the page inquiring about his contribution.
Beck could not be reached for comment after messages were left at his home. Beck and Heileson are scheduled to be in court on May 18.
According to the complaint filed by the attorney general's office, Heileson told an investigator he borrowed half of his $12,000 contribution from Beck. Heileson said he repaid Beck by working it off in trade, which he said he documented. However, Heileson refused to provide any documentation to the AG's investigator.
Heileson now says his attorney told him not to hand over the logs when the investigator requested them. He added that the AG's office filed the charges to meet the statute of limitations deadline and did not alert his attorney that the charges were being filed.
"I'm in the middle of an election. Am I going to win now? I doubt it," Heileson said. "This has been kind of nerve-wracking on my wife. She handled the money."
Beck recently accused Republican leaders of creating a secret society to oust him from his position inside the party.
The AG's complaint noted the bylaws of the Bonneville County GOP Central Committee require that the group take no position in favor of any Republican candidate. Yet the Integrity in Government PAC made several expenditures supporting GOP candidates involved in primary election races.
The Integrity in Government PAC was formed during the 2014 election cycle. It quickly raised eyebrows after reporting it received more than $100,000 in just a few days collected primarily from a small number of big donors — a rare feat in Idaho's modest political world. The group backed GOP candidates who ran against establishment candidates like Wasden and Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter.
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