The Nevada State Democratic Party have the receipts showing Sen. Dean Heller is continuing to receive illegal donations through a cheap family discount on services provided by his son’s Utah-based music production company, Heller Enterprises LLC. During the pre-primary reporting period, Heller’s campaign reported paying Heller’s son another $5,000, which appears to be a similar rate to what the campaign accidentally admitted was a “cheap discount” and “below market rate” last month.
Last month, the NV Dems filed a formal complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) over Heller’s re-election campaign and his son admitting to violating campaign finance laws based on these payments. A recent report from the Reno Gazette-Journal found that Heller’s campaign had previously paid Heller Enterprises LLC at least $52,500 since July 2016 for “social media consulting services.” Heller Enterprises is not a paid vendor for any other federal campaign. In an attempt to defend these ethically questionable payments, Heller’s campaign and his son made the problem worse: corporations are strictly prohibited from donating to federal campaign committees, and these in-kind contributions were never reported to the FEC.
BACKGROUND
- The Daily Beast: Heller Campaign Accidentally Cops to Illegal Corporate Contribs
- Las Vegas Review-Journal: Dems say work by Dean Heller’s son violates campaign law
- KOH Reno: Nevada Dems Say Heller Admitted Campaign Law Violations
- Reno Gazette-Journal: Sen. Dean Heller paid son at least $52,500 in campaign cash for social media consulting
- Associated Press: Heller’s son paid $52,000 by campaign for social media work
- HuffPost: Sen. Dean Heller’s Campaign Paid His Social Media Influencer Son More Than $50,000
Heller For Senate Paid Heller Enterprises $5,000 Dollars For Social Media Services Between 4/1/18 And 5/23/18. [Federal Election Commission, Heller for Senate Pre-Primary Report, 6/6/18]
