A California congressman and his wife were indicted Tuesday on charges of filing fraudulent campaign-finance records, the Justice Department announced.
Rep. Duncan D. Hunter, a Republican, and his wife Margaret Hunter allegedly used $250,000 in campaign money for their own personal expenses, including tuition, groceries, trips to Italy and Hawaii, and dental work.
The Hunters characterized the misuse of funds by labeling expenses as “campaign travel” or “dinner with volunteers.”
“The indictment alleges that Congressman Hunter and his wife repeatedly dipped into campaign coffers as if they were personal bank accounts, and falsified FEC campaign finance reports to cover their tracks,” said Adam Braverman, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California.
House Speaker Paul D. Ryan called the charges “deeply serious” and said Mr. Hunter would be removed from his committee assignments while the case proceeds.
The Justice Department said the questionable expenses took place between 2009 and 2016 and occurred despite the congressman’s campaign treasurer raising issues with some of the purchases.
The Hunters did not otherwise have the money to pay for their personal purchases, according to the 48-page indictment.
“Throughout the relevant period, the Hunters spent substantially more than they earned,” the indictment said. “They overdrew their bank account more than 1,100 times in a 7-year period resulting in approximately $37,761 in ’overdraft’ and ’insufficient funds’ bank fees.”
The investigation began in June 2016 after The San Diego Union Tribune and the Federal Election Commission began questioning the couple about expenses for video games, oral surgery, and a garage door for their home.
“Elected representatives should jealously guard the public’s trust, not abuse their positions for personal gain. Today’s indictment is a reminder that no one is above the law,” Mr. Braverman said.
The Hunters will appear Thursday at a federal courthouse in Southern California to respond to the charges.
Mr. Hunter, 41, did not issue an official response to the indictment, but a representative sent The Associated Press an Aug. 6 letter that Mr. Hunter’s lawyer had sent Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein accusing him of a “rush to indict” the congressman.
Gregory A. Vega asked in the letter that the indictment be postponed, the AP reported, and warned against “politically motivated” pressure to indict Mr. Hunter before the November election.
In June, Mr. Hunter easily finished first in the “jungle primary” California uses, garnering 47.4 percent of the vote, 30 percentage points clear of Democrat Ammar Campa-Najjar. The two men, as top finishers in the all-party primary, square off in November.
Mr. Hunter, a Marine veteran of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan, is seeking a sixth term representing the San Diego-area district, which had previously been represented by his father, also named Duncan Hunter.
The House ethics panel was investigating reports of campaign-finance abuse when it decided in March to delay the inquiry at the Justice Department’s request.
• Alex Swoyer can be reached at aswoyer@washingtontimes.com.
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