RALEIGH — Outgoing Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson owes more than $36,000 in campaign fines and penalties, according to a settlement agreement recently released by the N.C. State Board of Elections.
The settlement agreement states the Friends of Mark Robinson Committee owes $36,065 due to campaign contributions and expenditures that violate state campaign laws. The violations were contained in campaign reports filed between July 1, 2019, and Dec. 31, 2020.
The agreement was not public due to changes in state law made in 2018. that says such investigations “shall be confidential.” The provision also states no investigation can be initiated more than four years from the earliest date of three specific conditions laid out in the law:
• The facts constituting the violation are known to the State Board or county board with jurisdiction.
• The facts constituting the violation can be determined from the public record.
• The complainant knew or should have known of the conduct upon which the complaint is based.
A related compliance investigation memo outlines specific violations, such as cash withdrawal issues, expensed items, missing data, and omissions or use of incorrect forms.
The 19-page compliance memo lists contributions over the limit that were not corrected and contributions from committees not registered with the North Carolina State Board of Elections. The largest contributions from groups registered with the Federal Elections Commission but not registered with the state included the “Huck PAC” and “Gun Owners of America,” which each donated $5,400.
