NV Dems Lodge Complaint Against Tarkanian With FEC

(Sean Whaley/Nevada News Bureau) – The Nevada State Democratic Party today filed a new complaint with the Federal Elections Commission against Danny Tarkanian for Congress.

The complaint alleges Tarkanian has received illegal campaign contributions and that he has failed to disclose hundreds of thousands of dollars in operating expenditures.

Tarkanian won the June 12 Republican primary and now faces state Sen. Steven Horsford, D-Las Vegas, in the November general election in the new congressional district created as the result of the U.S. Census.

The Tarkanian campaign had no immediate comment on the complaint.

Among the reasons for the complaint:

– Tarkanian accepted an illegal $2,500 contribution above the legal limit from DeWayne Zinkin.

– Tarkanian failed to refund multiple illegal corporate contributions within the 30 day required period from five different entities.

– Because of a lack of proper accounting, Tarkanian failed to properly report as much as $250,000 in operating expenditures, which makes it impossible to determine what Tarkanian is spending money on.

“If Danny Tarkanian runs his business as sloppily as he runs his campaign’s finances, we’d strongly suggest he take an accounting 101 course,” said Nevada State Democratic Party Chairwoman Roberta Lange. “Understanding elementary accounting may not find him the $17 million he recently became in need of, but it would at least potentially stop him from breaking the law. While Danny Tarkanian may think he can play by his own set of rules, we’re going to hold him accountable.”

Lange was referring to a recent federal court decision in California that made Tarkanian and his family liable for a $17 million court judgment relating to a development project in Anza, Calif. Tarkanian has said he and his family were defrauded in the case.

It is the second complaint filed by the Democratic party against Tarkanian.

In May the party filed a complaint with the FEC regarding what it said were numerous irregularities in the first quarter FEC report of Danny Tarkanian for Congress.

The alleged irregularities included Tarkanian’s failure to disclose hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign debt leftover from his failed 2010 Senate campaign.

The Tarkanian campaign responded to the first complaint by saying: “After we complete our review of the complaint and the facts, any errors in the reports will be remedied immediately, and any other issues will be fully rectified.”