Allegheny County police on Thursday charged the treasurer of African Americans for Good Government, a political action committee active in Pittsburgh, with a single count for failing to properly file a campaign finance report.
The misdemeanor Election Code violation was filed against Leeretta Payne, 64, of Crawford-Roberts, via summons.
Under the code, the treasurer of a PAC must file reports for any amount received or expended exceeding $250.
In the case of African Americans for Good Government, donations were made by the Western Pennsylvania Laborers PAC totaling $60,000 but only $50,000 worth were accounted for in the annual 2020 campaign finance report, the criminal complaint said. In addition, the remaining $50,000, according to Michael Peairs, an inspector with the Allegheny County police, were listed on a campaign finance report under the names of other entities. A $10,000 check cashed on Feb. 13, 2020, was not listed by African Americans for Good Government at all, he said.
“Considering that there may have been bookkeeping errors, detectives found that there was still no explanation for the remaining $10,000,” Peairs said. “The banking records revealed that the $10,000 check was cashed and was never reported regardless of whether Ms. Payne mislabeled the other $50,000 in contributions.”
During an interview with investigators, Payne said she had managed the PAC since 2013, and that she controls the distribution of money received from outside entities, including other political candidates or PACs.
She also said, however, that Moses Nelson, the PAC’s executive chairman and campaign manager for Democratic Pittsburgh mayoral candidate Edward Gainey, can disburse money. Nelson did not immediately comment on the charge against Payne and said he would be issuing a statement.
According to Peairs, banking records also uncovered that the PAC received other contributions that were not reported by Payne to include $1,600 in checks written from the “Friends to Elect Edward C. Gain [sic].”
According to Gainey’s campaign finance reports, he received $2,500 in contributions from the PAC.
Messages left for Payne and Gainey were not immediately returned.
Gainey, who defeated Mayor Bill Peduto in the May primary, is running against Republican candidate Tony Moreno in the November mayoral election.
Paula Reed Ward is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Paula by email at pward@triblive.com or via Twitter .
