Associates of anti-tax activist Tim Eyman must pay more than $1 million for funneling campaign donations back to Eyman instead of using the money as donors intended.
A Thurston County judge ruled Monday that signature gathering firm Citizen Solutions and its principal William Agazarm must pay $1,039,755.67.
“The Court finds the Citizen Solutions Defendants' violations here are part of a pattern of violations, which resulted from a knowing and intentional effort to conceal, deceive, and mislead,” Judge James Dixon wrote in the ruling.
The ruling was in response to a 2017 lawsuit filed by Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson.
The judge found Citizen Solutions paid Eyman $308,185 in 2012, which Eyman used for his own personal expenses and to support another initiative, I-517.
That money initially came from campaign contributions that donors had given to bolster signature collection efforts for I-1185. After all I-1185 signatures had been collected on July 3, 2012, Citizen Solutions continued to accept payments from donors, including Eyman’s committee, Voters Want More Choices, for $170,825 and the Association of Washington Business Political Action Committee for $45,000. All of those funds were then sent to Eyman as a kickback, according to court documents.
“Donors would not have contributed funds if they had known they would be funneled to Defendant Eyman,” Dixon wrote.
In his opinion, Dixon wrote that Citizen Solutions knew about Eyman’s scheme, and “actively assisted with his violations, helping him mislead contributors.”
Eyman said in part in an email he's staying focused on passing I-976, the $30 car tab initiative that will be on the ballot in November, and went on to say:
"As a political activist, I’m focused on passing our $30 Tabs Initiative, raising funds to get paid back the $500k Karen and I loaned to get it qualified, and asking friends for help with my legal defense fund so we can survive the $900k+ the AG’s litigation has cost us so far."