AG's Office Is Thinking About Suing Jack Evans Over Unpaid Ethics Fines

Former Ward 2 Councilmember Jack Evans still has not paid the $20,000 he agreed to hand over as part of a settlement with the D.C. Board of Ethics and Government Accountability. The fine was technically due last August, but the Office of Government Ethics, which BEGA oversees, agreed not to go after Evans in court until December 2020.

That deadline has come and gone, and Evans still hasn’t paid up. OGE has subsequently referred the case to the Office of the Attorney General. OAG press secretary Marrisa Geller confirms to LL that their attorneys are currently reviewing the case. She could not comment further on the open case, including whether OAG has been in contact with Evans. He did not return LL’s phone call, and his attorney, Mark Tuohey, also did not respond to LL’s voicemails and emails.

The settlement allowed Evans to avoid a public hearing to admit no violation of the Council’s Code of Conduct. The case involves business pitches Evans and a member of his staff sent from his Council email address to legal and lobbying firms in 2015 and 2018. In the pitches, Evans tried to leverage his relationships and influence gained as an elected official into a side job.

Evans is also on the hook for another $33,000 in a separate settlement with BEGA. In that case, BEGA found that Evans violated the Code of Conduct by mixing Council business with his private consulting firm, NSE Consulting. Evans said he misunderstood the Council’s rules around outside employment for members. The settlement notes his “extensive tenure on the Council, legal training, original support for the Ethics Act, and his obligation” as an elected official to understand and obey the rules. He’s paid $2,000 of the total $35,000 fine, the largest BEGA has ever imposed. The rest is due June 30, 2021.

Read more: https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/511407/ags-office-is-thinking-about-suing-jack-evans-over-unpaid-ethics-fines/