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Miguel Martinez, the former City Council Member representing Washington Heights and Inwood, has a big bill waiting for him when he gets out of prison.
Just shy of the one-year anniversary of Martinez’ resignation from the Council and his guilty plea to corruption charges, The New York Times reported on July 6 that Martinez’ name is on a list of reluctant former candidates who were ordered to return matching campaign dollars from their respective races.
In 2008 Martinez was ordered by the Campaign Finance Board to return the city’s campaign dollars when the board ruled that he didn’t have receipts to show how he spent $128,786 in matching funds during his first campaign in 2001. The board assessed a $44,780 fine, one of the largest in CFB history, against the campaign as punishment.
Martinez never paid the fine or returned the contributions.
The CFB will have to wait in line.
In Dec. 2009 when Martinez was sentenced for stealing $106,000 in public funds, he was ordered to repay the money he stole in addition to serving five years in prison.
The two rulings together means that Martinez owes taxpayers at least $279,556.
He has private debts, too.
Albania Jimenez, a Martinez supporter, went door to door in May raising money by selling raffle tickets to help pay what she said was a $70,000 lawyer bill.
“We know he did something wrong,” Jimenez said, “but we support him.”
When Martinez pleaded guilty and ended his run for a third term, the campaign had $35,957.21 in its account. But, said Eric Friedman, a spokesperson for the city’s Campaign Finance Board, it’s not easy to take back.
“In terms of Martinez or anybody who declines to pass back, we have a succession of steps we take,” he said. Those steps start with angry letters and escalate to legal action.
“We don’t have the blanket authority to reach into people’s bank accounts,” he said.
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