Former Sedgwick County Commissioner Michael O’Donnell admitted to nine counts of campaign finance violations during a hearing in Topeka. O’Donnell appeared Wednesday afternoon in a hearing before the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission.
O’Donnell was acquitted of wire fraud charges in a federal trial in 2019, and a jury deadlocked on two counts of wire fraud along with all three counts of money laundering. He was accused of taking over ten thousand dollars from his campaign accounts for his personal use. His attorneys argued that his payments to staff and other supporters were legitimate campaign expenses. The Ethics Commission studied transcripts of the trial and later filed a complaint.
O’Donnell told the Ethics Commission, “I want to rectify this. I want to take responsibility for my actions.” He said he understands the desire to levy a huge fine, but through legal fees and his reputation, he has already paid a huge fine. He said he wasn’t trying to defraud anybody, and he was never accused of living off the money from his campaign fund. He said he put people on retainer for his campaign, and he sees now that was wrong. O’Donnell said he is trying to move on, and he appealed for a fine of $10,000.
The Ethics Commission imposed a fine of $25,000, but O’Donnell will only pay half of that amount if he pays within 90 days.
[ photo: Sedgwick County Government – Facebook ]
