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Mayor's re-election campaign reports former treasurer
FOX 13's Genevieve Curtis reports.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch’s political committee said it has reported its former treasurer to state and federal authorities after discovering what it describes as more than $207,000 in unauthorized transactions taken from the campaign without permission.
Welch’s campaign said it demanded the money be returned, but when it was not, the committee moved to notify authorities.
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What we know:
According to election filings reviewed by FOX 13, Yolanda Brown, of Fort Lauderdale, served as treasurer, and briefly as chairperson, for The Pelican Political Action Committee, the committee supporting Welch’s reelection campaign. Paperwork obtained by FOX 13 shows Brown resigned in September.
Campaign finance reports show eight transactions to O’Reilly Business LLC, starting with a $100,000 payment in August, and totaling more than $207,000, the filings show. State records indicate O’Reilly Business LLC is also registered to Brown, with an address listed as a Pak Mail location next to a Publix in Coconut Creek, according to the filings.
State filings also show Brown runs Brown Financial and Consulting Services Group LLC, which received about $7,000 last year from the campaign for work performed. The company’s address is listed as a Pak Mail location next to a Publix in Fort Lauderdale, records show.
Pictured: St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch.
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On its website, the company said it is a financial services firm that "thoroughly believes in transparency and accountability."
Welch’s campaign account shows a balance of about $30,000, according to filings reviewed by FOX 13 —compared to Charlie Crist for Mayor, which has raised more than $700,000.
What they're saying:
In a statement provided to FOX 13, the campaign’s attorneys said:
"Immediately upon discovering these improper transactions, we terminated our contract with our former treasurer and appointed a new treasurer. We demanded the return of funds from our former treasurer. While we assumed the funds would be returned and the former treasurer provided us a transaction receipt for a wire transfer of the funds back to the committee, the funds have yet to be returned. Accordingly, we are in the process of notifying the appropriate state and federal authorities."
FOX 13 asked Welch’s campaign which specific agencies have been notified, but officials did not say.
The other side:
FOX 13 also called and emailed Brown on Monday. As of publication, no response has been received.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Genevieve Curtis through details provided by St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch's re-election campaign, election filings and campaign finance reports.