Washington judge has ruled initiative promoter Tim Eyman illegally failed to report more than $766,000 in campaign contributions over a six-year period. Thurston County Superior Court Judge James Dixon on Friday issued his order in a 2017 lawsuit brought by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson. The judge found Eyman failed to register as a political committee, even though he clearly acted as one, and he failed to file 110 campaign finance reports with the Public Disclosure Commission. The ruling is the latest blow for Eyman in the case, as he and his company have been in contempt of court for more than two years for failing to turn over documents, accruing over 300-thousand dollars in sanctions. The judge previously ordered that associates of Eyman connected to a for-profit signature-gathering firm pay more than one million dollars for secretly funneling contributions to Eyman. Ferguson accused Eyman of being a serial violator of Washington state campaign-finance law who has spent years laundering political donations, accepting kickbacks, and taking campaign donations for personal use. Eyman has a long history of promoting anti-tax initiatives, including I-976, which voters passed last November to severely limit car-tab fees. That measure is on hold pending a legal challenge. Eyman filed for bankruptcy protection in 2018 because of the financial threat from the attorney general’s lawsuit. (AP)
