Former Judge, Business Owner Busted For Illegal Campaign Activities

A Former Grant County Superior Court Judge and a Moses Lake businessman could be facing nearly half a million dollars in fines and fees if found guilty. State officials announced Monday a lawsuit has been filed by the Attorney General's office.

Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson says former Judge Jerry Moberg and business man Ken Greene were behind an illegal campaign mailer that attacked a candidate for Grant County prosecutor in 2014.

Incumbent Angus Lee ran, and lost, against challenger Garth Dano. Ferguson says Moberg and Greene illegally financed and mailed out a very negative flyer that was sent randomly to voters in October reportedly on behalf of Lee. The flyers said the information was paid for by a group called "Grant County Concerned Voters."

Several complaints were filed with the Public Disclosure Commission (PDC), who oversees election and campaign activities. Following their investigation, Ferguson says Moberg and Greene are guilty of concealing their sponsorship of the political flyer, failing to register their group with the PDC, and using an assumed (fake) name to identify the source of what is known as an 'electioneering communication.'

Ferguson also says Green and Moberg gave "incomplete, deceptive or untrue answers" to questions they were asked during the PDC investigation.

The fine alone for operating an unlicensed political action committee is over $95,000. The two men are each facing multiple other counts as well, the total cost of all the infractions could be over $450,000.