The Maine Ethics Commission voted unanimously Wednesday to approve the 80 percent reduction of a $500,000 penalty against two backers of last year's failed casino referendum.
The vote authorizes the Ethics Agency to enter a settlement agreement with the original operators of the casino campaign, Augusta lobbyist Cheryl Timberlake and Lisa Scott, sister of international casino developer Shawn Scott.
Last year, Timberlake and Lisa Scott were fined by the commission for concealing the true donors to the campaign. The list of donors that was eventually revealed included an array of offshore and domestic companies, as well as Shawn Scott, who would have had exclusive rights to operate the casino if voters had approved it at the polls.
Timberlake and Lisa Scott challenged the fine in court.
The resulting legal battle prompted the Ethics Commission's legal counsel to recommend accepting one-fifth of the original fine, $100,000. This is in part because Lisa Scott's offshore residence and lack of domestic assets would make it difficult to collect the full amount.
The reduced fine is still the largest in Maine history, but well short of the $4.5 million the campaign could have been assessed under state law.
Originally published Aug. 29, 2018 at 4:07 p.m.
