NV DEM ASSEMBLYWOMAN BENITEZ-THOMPSON FAILED TO ACCOUNT FOR $38K, VIOLATING CAMPAIGN FINANCE LAWS

May 16, 2019

Political Reporter Rob Lauer

Carson City Reporter Dawn Cranfield

N.R.S  294.a.120 changed in 2017 requiring all candidates to breakout and disclose the names of every vendor who is paid more than $100. In 2018, Nevada State Assemblywoman (D) Teresa Francisca Benitez-Thompson wrote checks totaling some $38,000 to her Capital One Credit Card and an undisclosed Chase Credit Card account. Benitez-Thompson failed to list the two credit cards on her 2019 annual disclosure statement. Benitez-Thompson’s numerous payments to the two credit card companies were all marked as travel and office related expenses. Benitez-Thompson failed to provide the names and amounts of the individual vendors paid with the two credit cards raising transparency issues address by a new law passed in 2017.

Benitez-Thompson listed only $7,479 in travel expenses on her 2019 Financial Disclosure Form and she broke out her Southwest Airline Expenses separately. So there are some $31,000 in undisclosed expenses unaccounted for on her 2018 C&E reports. In addition, Benitez-Thompson wrote checks to the credit card companies using round numbers like a payment on April 4, 2019 for $1,600 and again in April for $500.

360 reached out to Assemblywoman Benitez-Thompson, but she refused to answer our calls.

https://www.leg.state.nv.us/NRS/NRS-294A.html#NRS294ASec120

Clarity: The law requiring candidates to report any expenses over $100 did not go into effect until 2019. However, Benitez-Thompson’s failure to list the Chase Card on her 2018 and 2019 FDS and any funds she may have used for perosnal use do violate existing law. Benitez-Thompson’s travel expense listed on her FDS do not match her payments to the credit card companies as reported on her C&E.