Trump-backed candidate who pleaded guilty to breaking campaign finance laws gets probation
A Donald Trump-backed Republican who ran for Congress is being given a one-year probation sentence for violating campaign finance rules.
According to CNN, Lynda Bennett, a North Carolina real estate agent who ran for the congressional seat formerly held by Trump's ex-chief of staff, was handed the sentence on Tuesday after pleading guilty in March. The guilty plea was for one count of “accepting contributions in the name of another,” court documents say. She'll also be given a $7,500 fine.
Bennett lost the 2020 race to former Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC), who was once heralded as a young up-and-coming Republican before he was hit with a slew of criminal charges. He was then redistricted and lost in the primary.
The plea deal said that Bennett took a $25,000 loan from a family member, and two months later, she put the cash into her campaign committee. She then falsely claimed the funds came from her. Limits at the time were $2,800 for a primary race.
The crime was discovered accidentally as the FBI was doing "a larger investigation.” “We just were reviewing records,” Department of Justice prosecutor Ryan Crosswell said of how investigators stumbled up the false financial reporting.
Crosswell recommended a sentence of probation with no fine or jail time. He said in court her action “erodes the democratic process."
During the sentencing hearing, Bennett told Judge Christopher Cooper the crime she was “very sorry for the distress and concern” she caused.
She also said she has no intention of running for office again.
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