More than a year after questions surfaced about his campaign finances, former Fulton County Commissioner Bill Edwards has formally settled accusations that he violated state law.
On Thursday the Georgia Government Transparency and Campaign Finance Commission approved a consent order in which Edwards admitted to improperly spending $13,836 in campaign funds on memberships and other expenses at the Commerce Club in Atlanta. He agreed to repay his campaign that amount or donate the money to a charity.
The commission also found Edwards failed to file a campaign disclosure report and failed to file another one on time. He will pay civil penalties and late fees totaling $2,175.
The charges arose after an investigation by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Channel 2 Action News and The Georgia News Lab found that Edwards could not account for nearly $80,000 in campaign cash. Following those reports, the campaign finance commission launched its own audit of Edwards' campaign finances.
The state audit concluded that no money was missing from Edwards' account. But it found his financial records were such a mess it would not be practical to require him to file six years' worth of corrected campaign reports.
Edwards served 14 years on the County Commission before he lost an election in 2014. He sought election again this year but was defeated by incumbent Commissioner Emma Darnell in the May 24 primary election.
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