Minnesota lawmaker ordered to repay campaign for nearly $4,000 in living costs

A longtime DFL state legislator from Winona has been fined and must repay his campaign nearly $4,000 after using political donor dollars to pay for rent, furniture and utilities at his St. Paul apartment.

A review by the state Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board found that Rep. Gene Pelowski used his campaign fund, the Pelowski Volunteer Committee, to cover $3,976.27 in living costs between 2017 and 2019.

Expenditures included an $802 payment to Quality Furniture Rental, $631 for security deposits and parking fees and hundreds of dollars more in utility bills. According to annual campaign finance filings, Pelowski also used the contributor funds to pay for his December 2018 rent at the Penfield, a luxury building in downtown St. Paul just blocks from the State Capitol.

https://www.startribune.com/dfl-lawmaker-ordered-to-repay-campaign-for-nearly-4k-in-living-costs/572409002/