An initiative promoter who is fighting political corruption charges brought against him by the state has filed for personal bankruptcy.
The Daily Herald reports that in documents filed Wednesday, Tim Eyman reported assets of more than $2 million and liabilities of $3.2 million. He owes $77,000 in legal fees and a disputed $3.1 million to the Office of the Attorney General, according to the reports.
Attorney General Bob Ferguson has accused Eyman of secretly moving funds between two initiative campaigns in 2012 and receiving $308,000 in kickbacks from the firm that collected signatures for both measures.
Ferguson filed a lawsuit in March 2017 seeking $1.8 million in penalties, plus reimbursement of the funds Eyman received from the firm.
Eyman, who has denied wrongdoing, reported an average monthly income of $42,843 since May 1. He reported that $5,261 was from Voters Want More Choices, his political committee, and Watchdog for Taxpayers, a separate for-profit corporation run solely by Eyman. The remainder was an average of $21,732 a month in gifts from relatives and friends, and $15,849 a month from a legal defense fund.
The trial in the civil case against Eyman was to take place this month, but in late September, Superior Court Judge James Dixon pushed the date to January 2020. The state has argued that Eyman and his co-defendants — signature-gathering firm Citizen Solutions and its executive, William Agazarm — had not turned over certain financial records.
Ferguson said revelations in the bankruptcy filing, including the more than $20,000 per month in gifts, may spark additional civil charges.
