Abilene Pastor Scott Beard fined $3,500 by Texas Ethics Commission for campaign violations
ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) – The Texas Ethics Commission (TEC) has ordered Pastor Scott Beard of Fountain Gate Fellowship Church to pay a $3,500 civil penalty due to violations made during his 2023 campaign for Abilene City Council.
In an order and agreed resolution from the Texas Ethics Commission, TEC wrote that Beard “made extensive contributions from corporate resources to his own campaign.”
TEC discovered that Beard placed and distributed campaign signs on FountainGates’ property, filmed campaign videos at the church’s office and worship center, and accepted corporate contributions from attendees who were employed by the church at his campaign fundraising dinner.
In March 2023, an employee of FountainGate contacted TEC’s filer helpline on behalf of Beard. They inquired whether it was permissible to distribute camping signs or display them on the church’s property. The TEC attorney cautioned that candidates are not allowed to accept corporate contributions.
According to documents, the signs remained on the property after this incident, and Beard invited other candidates to post signs at FountainGate’s worship center. However, he did not offer to distribute signs for opponents. More than two weeks after the helpline call, the signs were removed. Beard falsely claimed that TEC approved the sign placement.
As a result, TEC imposed a $3,500 civil penalty after “considering the nature, circumstances, and consequences of the violations described under Section III, the respondent’s lack of good faith, and the need to deter similar violations.”
TEC went on to say that by Beard signing the document, “The respondent neither admits nor denies the findings of fact and conclusions of law described under Section III, and consents to the entry of this order and agreed resolution solely for the purpose of resolving this sworn complaint.”
Beard paid the $3,500 penalty on May 28th, 2024.
Read the full document here:
Scott-Beard-Texas-Ethics-CommisionDownload
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