Clean Elections Fraud Fight Goes to Court as Green Party Candidates Seek to Block Repayment
The commission says state law requires it to investigate whether the candidates falsely qualified for $4.7 million in public campaign funds.
- On Thursday, attorneys for candidates Risa Lombardo and Duwayne Collier sparred with the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission in Maricopa County Superior Court, seeking to block an ongoing investigation into their campaign financing.
- Regulators are investigating whether the candidates falsified documentation for $5 contributions to secure a collective $4.7 million in public funds, as records showed nearly 4,000 identical donors across three campaigns.
- While attorney Tim La Sota argued that state certification should prevent the Commission from clawing back funds, regulators cited evidence of voters who denied making donations, claiming their signatures were used without knowledge.
- With an October 29 deadline for completion, candidates claim the investigation effectively freezes their campaigns by discouraging spending, while the Commission maintains it is fulfilling its mandated duty to protect public funds.
- Attorneys for the Commission wrote that candidates consented to rules and oversight when accepting public financing, arguing the court lacks authority to halt an investigation required by the Citizens Clean Election Act.
9 Articles
9 Articles
Clean Elections fraud fight goes to court as Green Party candidates seek to block repayment - The Mexico Ledger
Risa Lombardo, a Green Party candidate for governor, is being accused of fraudulently qualifying for public campaign financing. On Aug. 27, 2026, the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission is expected to consider asking her to repay the $2.8 million her campaign was given. (Screenshot via Google Ads Transparency Center)The attorney for two Green Party candidates accused of fraudulently obtaining public campaign funding and lawyers for the c…
Clean Elections fraud fight goes to court as Green Party candidates seek to block repayment - Seward Independent
Risa Lombardo, a Green Party candidate for governor, is being accused of fraudulently qualifying for public campaign financing. On Aug. 27, 2026, the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission is expected to consider asking her to repay the $2.8 million her campaign was given. (Screenshot via Google Ads Transparency Center)The attorney for two Green Party candidates accused of fraudulently obtaining public campaign funding and lawyers for the c…
thepampanews.com
Clean Elections fraud fight goes to court as Green Party candidates seek to block repayment
The attorney for two Green Party candidates accused of fraudulently obtaining public campaign funding and lawyers for the commission that regulates that funding sparred in Maricopa County Superior Court Thursday over whether the commission has the power to make candidates repay ill-gotten funding. Tim La Sota, the attorney for Risa Lombardo and Duwayne Collier, the [...]
Clean Elections tells court it must investigate Green Party fraud claims
The Arizona Citizens Clean Election Commission says that its investigation into whether two Green Party candidates fraudulently qualified for campaign funding is squarely within the scope of its legally mandated job of protecting the state’s public campaign finance system, and that a Maricopa County Superior Court judge should throw out the candidates’ lawsuit to block […]
Clean Elections fraud fight goes to court as Green Party candidates seek to block repayment - Stateline Publications
Risa Lombardo, a Green Party candidate for governor, is being accused of fraudulently qualifying for public campaign financing. On Aug. 27, 2026, the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission is expected to consider asking her to repay the $2.8 million her campaign was given. (Screenshot via Google Ads Transparency Center)The attorney for two Green Party candidates accused of fraudulently obtaining public campaign funding and lawyers for the c…
Clean Elections fraud fight goes to court as Green Party candidates seek to block repayment - Hillsboro Sentry Enterprise
Risa Lombardo, a Green Party candidate for governor, is being accused of fraudulently qualifying for public campaign financing. On Aug. 27, 2026, the Arizona Citizens Clean Elections Commission is expected to consider asking her to repay the $2.8 million her campaign was given. (Screenshot via Google Ads Transparency Center)The attorney for two Green Party candidates accused of fraudulently obtaining public campaign funding and lawyers for the c…
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