Moses Lake men fined for campaign finance violation

MOSES LAKE — A Moses Lake attorney and a Moses Lake business owner were assessed $250,000 in fines and court costs after they were found in violation of campaign finance laws. The judgment against attorney Jerry Moberg and business owner Ken Greene stemmed from a mailer sent during the 2014 race for Grant County prosecutor.

Moberg, a former Grant County Superior Court judge, will pay $115,000 in civil penalties and $115,000 in court costs. Greene will pay $13,872 in civil penalties and $6,128 in court costs.

The case involved a flyer issued by Greene during the 2014 election supporting then-incumbent Angus Lee, signed by “Grant County Concerned Voters.”

“No such group ever registered with the PDC (Washington Public Disclosure Commission) or filed any reports, meaning no public information was available to determine who was behind the mailing and how much they spent,” according to a press release from the Washington Attorney General.

Moberg released a statement through his attorney, Lori W. Hurl. Greene’s attorney did not return a request for comment.

“There was no determination by the court that Mr. Moberg intentionally violated the law — and we deny that he ever did so,” Hurl wrote.

Hurl called the fines “grossly excessive,” but said Moberg had decided to pay them.

Moberg claimed his involvement was limited to a $4,000 loan to Greene to produce the flyer.

“Mr. Moberg cooperated with the investigation, but the Attorney General’s office ultimately made the choice to pursue a complaint against him for failing to make it clear that he loaned the money to Mr. Greene for the flyer, although the state’s own investigator acknowledged that Mr. Moberg’s answer to his question about whether he helped fund the mailer was perhaps ‘technically accurate,’” Hurl wrote.

“The Attorney General’s statement that Mr. Moberg lied is contrary to the PDC investigator’s admission, in which he acknowledges Mr. Moberg was telling the truth and that his question was answered in a way that was technically accurate.”

The PDC’s investigation identified Greene and Moberg as exchanging emails with the print shop that printed the mailer.

In a statement released Jan. 7 announcing Moberg and Greene had been found in violation of campaign finance laws, the AG’s office said Moberg’s and Greene’s replies to the PDC’s questions did not include the information that Moberg was involved in paying for the mailer. The AG’s office contended that the two men had violated state election laws by allegedly hiding Moberg’s involvement, and neglected to file the proper paperwork.