The New York State Joint Commission on Public Ethics announced today that two Washington D.C.-based lobbying firms have paid a total $27,000 in fines for failing to register as lobbyists in 2013 and 2014 and for failing to file required public disclosures on their lobbying activities during that time.
As part of the two settlement agreements with the Joint Commission, DCI Group AZ, LLC., paid $15,000 for failing to register as a lobbyist and for failing to file required disclosure documents during the two-year period while retained to lobby in New York state on Verizon Communication’s behalf. Potomac Communications Strategies Inc. which was retained by DCI Group to also lobby for Verizon, separately paid $12,000 for failing to register as a lobbyist and for failing to file required disclosures with the Joint Commission.
Verizon fully complied with its own disclosure requirements during the relevant period and was not implicated in the matters involving DCI and Potomac.
“Lobbyists have an obligation to comply with the public disclosure requirements under the Lobbying Act, and those who fail to do so will be held accountable,” said Joint Commission Executive Director Letizia Tagliafierro.
Both enforcement actions arise out of an audit conducted by the Joint Commission of Verizon’s disclosure filings. The two lobbying firms fully cooperated throughout the Joint Commission’s investigation, which determined that their failure to file was significantly due to the malfeasance and nonfeasance of an employee with a law firm retained to handle their filings.
As part of the settlement agreements, both lobbying firms have since registered for 2013 and 2014 and filed required disclosures for the period. All such disclosures are publicly available through the Commission’s website.
Lobbying disclosures include, among other information, identification of those authorized to lobby on an entity’s behalf, the compensation paid to the lobbyists, expenses incurred and paid as part of the lobbying effort, matters that were lobbied on as well as the government entities lobbied.
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New York State
Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government
540 Broadway
Albany, NY 12207