Togliatti fights fine levied over election report

Friday, Nov. 23, 2001 | 9:17 a.m.

CARSON CITY -- Former FBI agent George Togliatti may face a $20,000 fine for violating Nevada's election laws, even though he never filed for political office in Clark County.

Togliatti raised more than $45,000 to launch a campaign in 1999 to challenge Clark County Commissioner Lance Malone in the 2000 election. But he dropped out of the race before filing his candidacy.

He faces the fine for failing to meet deadlines for filing the required three reports on contributions and expenditures to the secretary of state's office.

Togliatti is seeking a waiver of the fine. In a letter to Secretary of State Dean Heller, he wrote, "It was never my intention to violate any area of campaign regulations."

Heller said Wednesday he is seeking more information before deciding on a waiver.

Togliatti filed the required campaign reports on Nov. 6. They show he collected $46,387, spent $14,930 and returned the rest to his contributors.

If he is assessed a fine, it would have to come from his personal money, not campaign donations, according to the law. Togliatti was considered a possible Democratic candidate for a vacant state Senate seat in Las Vegas in the election next year, but he decided against entering the race.

On July 24 Heller turned over to the state attorney general's office the names of 60 candidates in the last election who were either late in filing their campaign reports or didn't submit them at all. They owed anywhere from $25 to $15,000.

Senior Deputy Attorney General Kateri Cavin said Wednesday those candidates "were given lots of opportunities to comply with the law." They were sent numerous letters notifying they had to pay the fines unless a waiver was made.

She said nine have paid and one -- John Stevenson of the Incline Village General Improvement District who owed $5,000 -- died.

That leaves 50 fines uncollected, including fines assessed Assemblyman Wendell Williams, D-Las Vegas, who owes more than $6,800 for being late or failing to file one of his reports. Williams could not be reached for comment.

The law allows the attorney general's office to file a civil suit to collect the amounts. Cavin said a decision may be reached by the end of next week on what action to take.