Ethics Commission closes Richardson case, fines him $500

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By Aaron Gould Sheinin and Cameron McWhirter

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The State Ethics Commission has fined former House Speaker Glenn Richardson, R-Hiram, $500 and closed its investigation into a questionable transfer of funds from his campaign account and a political action committee he controls.

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Richardson, who resigned as speaker late in 2009, transferred $219,000 in leftover campaign funds to the MMV Alliance Fund. He became chairman of the PAC after resigning from the House.

The Ethics Commission began its investigation in February because the transfer appeared to violate state law that requires leftover campaign funds to be done donated to candidates or political parties or to nonprofits approved by the IRS or the state. MMV was not so approved, but has since become a qualified nonprofit, the commission said at its Tuesday meeting.

Richardson did not attend Tuesday's hearing.

Richardson was one of the state's most powerful politicians until last fall, when he attempted suicide and then announced he was suffering from depression. Later, his ex-wife said publicly that Richardson had had an affair with a lobbyist. Richardson resigned.

Tuesday, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Richardson held a gun to his head and threatened to kill himself less than two weeks ago, according to a Paulding County Sheriff's Office report. The suicide threat followed a domestic dispute in Atlanta the night of Aug. 5, according to an incident report obtained by the AJC through an Open Records request.

Before he left office, Richardson closed out his campaign account by giving $219,915 to MMV. The fund was started after Republicans won the House in 2004. Much of the money it raised came from lobbyists and businesses that employ Capitol lobbyists.

MMV made donations, paid for Richardson's travel and reimbursed staff for political work. In 2006, MMV raised more than $400,000. MMV contributed $250,000 in a month to the Georgia Republican Party just before the elections.