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Plea bargain Former state Sen. Marshall Ige pleaded no contest in District court today to two misdemeanor counts of violating campaign spending laws, as part of an agreement with the state attorney general's office.
drops five counts;
Ige pleads no contest
He could draw a penalty of
up to one year in jail and
a top fine of $2,000By Treena Shapiro
Star-Bulletin
Ige had been charged with seven counts, including failing to report campaign contributions, failing to disclose campaign debts and accepting an improper campaign contribution.
Under the plea agreement, Ige entered a no contest plea on a consolidated charge in connection with an unreported $18,263.71 printing debt that was paid for by an architectural company that did business with the Bishop Estate, and for failure to report a $22,500 campaign donation.
Ige could face up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $2,000 when he appears for sentencing on April 24. Ige's attorney, Michael McCarthy said he is still negotiating with the attorney general's office on whether his client will serve any jail time.
It's possible the plea will be deferred and the charge erased from his record if Ige "obeys laws and is basically a good citizen," McCarthy said.
He said the complaints should have stayed within the Campaign Spending Commission, where Ige would have been fined $50, but instead the state spent millions of dollars going after his client. He blames the criminal case and "the way mud has been smeared on this case" for Ige's loss in last November's election.
This case is not related to a five-count criminal complaint filed Jan. 18 against Ige in which the state alleged he took $30,000 from an elderly couple in 1998 and laundered the proceeds through a third party.
Ige also is charged with taking $7,000 from a farmer after he threatened to evict them.
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