Filing shows Maggio giving donors $46,800

Facing investigations from two state agencies into his campaign for Arkansas Court of Appeals, Circuit Judge Michael Maggio of Conway says he has returned to donors all of his remaining campaign contributions, about $46,800.


RELATED ARTICLE

http://www.arkansas…">Analysis: 49% of giving to Maggio from 2 firms

In a final campaign contribution report filed with the secretary of state’s office Friday, Maggio reported returning money to 54 contributors, including individuals, political action committees and companies. The judge withdrew from the race March 6.

In Arkansas, when a state-office candidate withdraws from a race, he has several options for any remaining campaign funds. Among them are keeping funds for future campaigns, and/or returning money to donors, according to the Arkansas Ethics Commission.

Maggio’s report showed that most refunds accounted for about 75 percent of contributors’ original donations.

However, six of seven political action committees financed by Fort Smith nursing-home owner Michael Morton got 100 percent refunds, according to the report. Maggio’s campaign contributions involving those PACs are under investigation by state agencies.

For example, the Morton-financed GO Good Government PAC gave Maggio $2,250 during the campaign. Maggio is refunding the total amount, according to his final contributions report.

Just one of the seven Morton-backed PACs, Citizens for Information Technology PAC, is getting a 75 percent refund on its $1,450 donation to Maggio. The report lists the refund as about $1,085.

Morton and Maggio could not be reached for comment Wednesday afternoon.

Maggio refunded $1,497 each to more than a dozen individuals and companies who gave the maximum allowed in Arkansas for a candidate per election - $2,000.

Among those were eight nursing homes controlled by Ovation Health Systems Inc. in Conway, which gave $16,000 total to Maggio’s campaign on Nov. 22 last year. A spokesman for the Conway company, operated by Brandon Adams and Bryan Adams, did not reply to an interview request Wednesday.

Many Maggio contributors who gave less than the $2,000 maximum also got back about 75 percent. A Conway doctor who donated $100, for example, received about $74.86, according to Maggio’s filing.

Front Section, Pages 7 on 04/10/2014

Upcoming Events