Former Grant County judge, Moses Lake businessman face heavy fines for campaign violations

OLYMPIA – A former Grant County judge and a Moses Lake businessman broke campaign finance laws in 2014 with an unsuccessful effort to defeat a candidate for county prosecutor.

Former judge Jerry Moberg and businessman Ken Greene sent out a mailer that listed an unregistered political committee, and tried to thwart the state’s efforts to determine the mailer’s source, Thurston County Superior Court Judge John Skinder ruled in a summary judgment last week.

The mailer, which was printed in South Dakota and sent to some 12,000 voters in Grant County, criticized challenger Garth Dano and supported incumbent Angus Lee. It was attributed to Grant County Concerned Citizens, a group which never filed reports with the Public Disclosure Commission.

The summary judgment, granted to the state attorney general’s office, concluded that Moberg and Greene spent nearly $4,000 in unreported money on the flier, tried to conceal it from the PDC during the agency’s investigation, and still haven’t filed the proper reports. A trial in February will determine the size of their fines, which could be more than $300,000 because of the multiple violations and extra penalties for trying to conceal their actions.

Dano eventually won the race and still holds the office.