Fringe candidates’ lawyer cries ‘conspiracy’ as Clean Elections fraud probe barrels ahead

Arizona's Clean Elections Commission voted unanimously to continue investigating Green Party candidates Risa Lombardo and Duwayne Collier and Republican Scott Neely over suspected fraud in qualifying for $4.7 million in public campaign funds. The commission authorized subpoenas for records, bank statements and witness testimony, with a recommendation on repayment due by Sept. 24.

The investigation follows an Arizona Mirror report finding nearly 4,000 duplicated qualifying contributions across the three campaigns, with more than 2,600 people listed as donating to all three — accounting for roughly 75% of listed donors. Six contacted donors said the contributions attributed to them, including signatures, were not legitimate.

Attorney Tim La Sota, representing Lombardo and Collier, called the probe a conspiracy theory and questioned the credibility of the donors who denied giving. Neely told the commission he had no knowledge of the allegations despite having been quoted in the article that raised them, and declined to name the people who collected donations on his behalf.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.