State Ethics Commission investigates four Georgia senators
The State Ethics Commission is investigating four Georgia state senators who have allegedly failed to file required campaign reports.
State Sen. Derek Mallow, D-Savannah; Sen. Colton Moore, R-Trenton; Sen. Freddie Powell Sims, D-Dawson; and Sen. Kenya Wicks, D-Fayette, failed to report campaign contributions or disclose details of their personal finances, as required by Georgia law, according to complaints obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The ethics commission has subpoenaed bank records from each of the senators, documents show.
The three Democratic senators issued a joint statement saying they are “fully committed to adhering to campaign finance laws and maintaining the highest ethical standards while in elected office.” They didn’t specify when they would file the outstanding reports, though Powell Sims and Wicks have filed reports since the ethics commission filed the complaints on Feb. 13.
“We recognize the vital importance of transparency, accountability and public trust in the political process,” the senators said.
Moore declined to comment.
Georgia law requires candidates and elected officials to report their campaign contributions and expenses on a regular basis. It also requires them to disclose some details of their personal and business interests annually. In both cases, the goal is to give voters information about the candidates and the business and political interests supporting their campaigns.
The State Ethics Commission audits the filings of all members of the General Assembly after each election cycle. The alleged violations by the four senators were found during those audits. According to four complaints dated Feb. 13:
- Mallow failed to file six campaign contribution reports in 2024 and early 2025. He also failed to file a personal financial disclosure report for 2022.
- Moore failed to file a campaign contribution report in January. He also did not file his personal financial disclosures for 2023, and he filed his 2022 disclosure late.
- Powell Sims failed to file campaign contribution reports in December and January and a personal financial disclosure for 2023. Ethics commission records show she filed the two campaign reports on Thursday — two weeks after the complaint against her.
- Wicks failed to file a campaign contribution report in January. Ethics commission records indicate Wicks filed the report on Feb. 18 — five days after the complaint.
“By strictly following all legal requirements, we ensure that our campaign and financial reports are conducted with integrity and in the best interest of our constituents,” Mallow, Powell Sims and Wicks said in their statement. “Upholding ethical practices remains a top priority as we continue to serve and represent the people of our districts and Georgia.”
Failure to file such reports as required can result in a fine of up to $1,000 for a first offense, $10,000 for a second offense and $25,000 for a third offense.
But the amount of undisclosed contributions also can be a factor. The State Ethics Commission recently fined the New Georgia Project $300,000 for failing to disclose millions of dollars of support for Democrat Stacey Abrams’ unsuccessful 2018 campaign for governor. It was the largest penalty ever assessed for violating Georgia campaign finance laws.
Ethics commission Executive Director David Emadi declined to comment on the investigations, except to say they would “play out through the legal process as they always do.”
About the Author
David Wickert writes about the state budget, finance and voting issues. Previously, he covered local government and politics in Gwinnett and Fulton counties. Before moving to Atlanta, he worked at newspapers in Illinois, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington.
