Yesterday, End Citizens United (ECU) filed a complaint with the Department of Justice against Steve Garvey, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate in California. The complaint centers on Garvey’s failure to file an accurate and complete personal financial disclosure report.
See below for coverage in the Los Angeles Times and Orange County Register.
Los Angeles Times: Complaint accuses California Senate candidate Steve Garvey of failing to disclose income
Laura Nelson
07/22/24
Key Points:
- A government watchdog group on Monday requested a federal investigation into Republican Senate candidate Steve Garvey, saying the former Dodgers All-Star broke the law by failing to disclose some of his income last year.
- End Citizens United, a left-leaning campaign finance reform group, filed a six-page complaint with the Justice Department on Monday afternoon alleging that Garvey omitted information from the annual financial disclosure form that Senate candidates are required by law to complete.
- Tiffany Muller, the group’s president, said that Garvey’s apparent omissions in his 2023 financial disclosure amount to “deliberately deceiving California voters.”
- “Refusing to provide a complete and truthful personal financial disclosure report is not just a blatant violation of the law but a betrayal of public trust,” she said in a statement. She added that voters “deserve full transparency about his financial dealings in order to identify any conflicts of interest and get a better picture of what he stands to gain in the U.S. Senate.”
- Garvey’s campaign confirmed that they had received the complaint, but did not immediately respond to questions.
- Garvey also has an account on Cameo, the platform where people can buy personalized videos from athletes, actors and other celebrities. The page says it “isn’t available right now,” but was charging $149 per video earlier this year.
- Garvey’s Cameo page has several dozen reviews from customers last year, thanking him for videos to celebrate retirements, birthday parties and other milestones. But, the complaint notes, Garvey did not report any income from Cameo.
- Senate candidates are also required to disclose all checking and savings accounts held by themselves or their spouses that contain $5,000 or more, or that generate more than $200 in income. Garvey reported none.
- The group’s letter, to the Justice Department’s public integrity section, urges swift action “to ensure that Mr. Garvey complies with federal law and that the public is granted full disclosure of Mr. Garvey’s finances as a candidate for the United States Senate.”
Orange County Register: Senate candidate Steve Garvey didn’t disclose all the money he made last year, new complaint alleges
Hanna Kang
07/23/24
Key Points:
- A government watchdog organization filed a federal complaint on Monday, alleging that U.S. Senate candidate Steve Garvey violated federal law by failing to disclose multiple sources of his income last year.
- In a complaint filed with the U.S. Justice Department on Monday, July 22, the left-leaning campaign finance reform group End Citizens United alleged that Garvey, a Republican, did not report all of his income from 2023. Federal candidates are required by law to disclose personal financial information, including assets, income and investments.
- Garvey did not disclose honoraria payments, earned income from Cameo (a website and app where users can buy personalized videos from celebrities), positions he’s held outside of his Senate campaign and assets from his spouse or any bank accounts, the group said in a press release.
- According to the six-page complaint, Garvey held at least seven meet-and-greets and gave speeches last year that were not campaign-related. The complaint alleged that three of those event organizers told a reporter for the online news site Slate that they paid Garvey for his appearance, one saying they gave him over $5,000.
- When asked on the financial disclosure form whether any individual or organization paid him or his spouse more than $200 for an article, speech, or appearance, Garvey answered no.
- Garvey also did not report positions he held outside of being a candidate, but according to End Citizens United, Garvey’s website in 2023 highlighted his position as president of Garvey Management Group and was also listed as a member of the UCLA Neurosurgery Board of Advisors.
- Garvey reported earning $121,874 last year in earned and non-investment income from four sources: GEP Talent, Fox Television, The Topps Company and IPG DXTRA, Inc. He also reported up to a couple hundred thousand dollars in assets, including up to $100,000 from Major League Baseball’s pension plan.
- End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller said voters deserve full transparency about Garvey’s financial dealings to “get a better picture of what he stands to gain in the U.S. Senate.”
- “Steve Garvey is deliberately deceiving California voters by concealing his financial interests,” Muller said. “Refusing to provide a complete and truthful personal financial disclosure report is not just a blatant violation of the law but a betrayal of public trust.”
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