Former Councilmember Eric Gioia owes more than $72,000 in total penalties for about a dozen violations his failed election campaign for public advocate committed in 2009.
The offenses include accepting over-the-limit and corporate contributions and failing to provide bank statements or report transactions, the city’s Campaign Finance Board said.
The ex-legislator was also fined nearly $30,000 for exceeding the expenditure limit, according to the board.
Gioia’s lawyer, Mark Sattinger, said the penalties were for “highly technical violations” that were fixed many years ago.
“The campaign’s expenditure limit violation was the wholly the result of a change in the law which the Campaign Finance Board applied retroactively and without notice,” he said. “These were unintentional violations and quickly rectified, and therefore the penalties assessed by the CFB are disproportionate and unfortunate.”
Gioia represented the 26th City Council District in western Queens for eight years. He is listed as a managing director for JP Morgan on several social media pages.
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