Lobbyist Faces $5 Million Fine For Allegedly Failing to File Disclosure Reports

Nossaman Partner Fred Dombo was quoted in The Washington Post article "Lobbyist faces $5 million fine for allegedly failing to file disclosure reports" regarding the civil complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia against Alan Mauk and his firm, Alan Mauk Associates, for violating federal lobbying law.

The complaint alleges that Mr. Mauk and his firm did not file required quarterly lobbying reports at least 13 times between 2009 and 2013 and failed to file semi-annual reports on political contributions on at least 13 occasions, also in violation of the Lobbying Disclosure Act. The law carries a fine of up to $200,000 for each violation.

The article noted that legal action such as this against lobbyists is rare, but it has been increasing.

Mr. Dombo stated that recent cases "show that the Justice Department is getting serious about enforcement of federal lobbying requirements."