ELEC files 16 complaints for campaign finance violations, mostly against labor unions

Working under tighter deadlines than ever under a new law that reduced the statute of limitations for campaign finance violations from ten years to two, the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission today filed sixteen new complaints alleging technical violations.

Most of the complaints released today involve building trade union political action committees, and one involves a pro-business PAC connected to the New Jersey Business & Industry Association.

Each complaint is from the 2021 campaign.

ELEC complaints frequently involve minor defects on reports filed with the watchdog agency.  Typically, significant fines and penalties are only imposed if individuals or groups don’t respond to communications from ELEC staff or submit amended reports.

Among the unions facing a complaint is the Ironworkers Local 399 PAC, run by Richard Sweeney, the brother of former Senate President Steve Sweeney.  ELEC says the PAC didn’t file 48-hour reports disclosing $18,000 worth of October expenditures.

Respondents have twenty days to respond to the complaints.