Jeremy Durham may face $7 million in state penalties

Ex-lawmaker Jeremy Durham may face almost $7 million or more in state fines as a result of at least 690 violations of state campaign finance law, according to a USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee analysis of a new campaign finance and ethics report.

The information, contained in a "show cause" notice issued Feb. 28 by the Tennessee Registry of Election Finance, also provides for the first time the names of prominent campaign donors and business owners who gave Durham thousands of dollars that the former Franklin lawmaker never reported on his campaign disclosures.

Additionally, the report details nearly $76,000 in improperly disclosed campaign expenditures — on everything from Florida restaurants and airplane tickets to flowers and a Yankee Candle purchase. Among these findings are many of the more than $10,000 in illegal purchases Durham made that were included in a recently released state audit, including suits, sunglasses and spa products.

A show cause notice is the registry’s formal notification that a person is under investigation, detailing the specific allegations against that person. The 30-page Durham notice, obtained by the USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee, mirrors many of the accusations included in the registry’s audit that was released in February.

Read more: http://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/politics/2017/03/08/jeremy-durham-may-face-7-million-state-penalties/98899128/