Politics & Government

$2,000 Ethics Fine on Amato

The Missouri Ethics Commission says it will waive $1,800 of the fee if Amato has no further ethics violations within the next two years.

The Missouri Ethics Commission placed a $2,000 fine on Phil Amato for donor reporting violations related to his campaign for a Jefferson County Council seat last year.

Amato, who was elected a Arnold’s Ward 3 Councilman in April, will only have to pay $200 of the fine if no further ethics violations occur within two years and the money is paid by Sept. 26, stated a document posted on the Missouri Ethics Commission website

“The responsibility for the violations is all on me. It was my campaign,” Amato said in a phone interview.

Find out what's happening in Arnoldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Amato said he should have read the reporting requirements more closely. 

The commission stated that campaign finance violations occurred at a fundraising event for Amato on Oct. 12, 2010.

Find out what's happening in Arnoldwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Twelve donors each gave more than $100, for a combined $3,650, toward the campaign at the event.

All donor contributions were written on separate forms when people responded to event invitations, Amato said.

The campaign filed a report on Oct. 25, 2010, eight days prior to the Nov. 2 county election, stating the event raised more than $6,900 from 200 donors, the document stated.

The report “failed” to identify donors who gave more than $100 at the event, the document said. 

“Only contributors of more than one hundred dollars shall be reported by name and address,” a commission special investigator said in the document.

The campaign also broke ethics rules when it received a $400 cash donation from Marion Becker, the campaign’s deputy treasurer, the document said. 

Amato filed an amended donor list on January 30 after the commission received a complaint on Dec. 20, 2010. 

Amato agreed to pay the $200 fine.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch website first broke this story Monday.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Arnold