Ramel, Alex: Alleged Violations of RCW 42.17A.417 for accepting contributions from foreign nationals & RCW.42.17A.710 for inaccurate reporting on F1 report (EY22, June22)

Case

#108986

Respondent

Alex Ramel

Complainant

Glen Morgan

Description

The Public Disclosure Commission (PDC) has completed its review of the complaint filed on June 1, 2022. The complaint alleged that Alex Ramel, an incumbent State Representative and 2022 candidate for re-election to Legislative District 40, may have violated: (1) RCW 42.17A.417 for accepting contributions from foreign nationals; and (2) RCW.42.17A.710 for inaccurate reporting on the Personal Financial Affairs Statement (F-1 report).

PDC staff reviewed the allegations; the applicable statutes, rules, and reporting requirements; the response provided by the Respondent; the applicable PDC reports filed by the Respondent; and queried the Respondent’s data in the PDC contribution and expenditure database, to determine whether the record supports a finding of one or more violations.

Regarding the alleged violation of RCW 42.17A.417 for accepting a contribution from a foreign national, staff found the submittal of the certification required by RCW 42.17A.418 to be sufficient. Based on our findings regarding this allegation, staff has determined that no evidence supports a finding of a violation that warrants further investigation and has dismissed the allegation in accordance with RCW 42.17A.755(1).

Regarding the alleged violation of RCW 42.17A.710 for disclosing inaccurate information on the F-1 report, it appears that the Respondent chose to disclose information thought to be of interest to the public in an effort to be transparent about the relationship between the Respondent and his former company ownership.

Based on our findings staff has determined that, in this instance, failure to file accurate F-1 reports does not amount to a finding of a violation that warrants further investigation.

PDC staff is reminding Rep. Alex Ramel about the importance of the accurate disclosure of all personal financial information on the F-1 report required to be submitted as an elected official, and the accurate filings of all future F-1 reports in accordance with the statutes and rules.

Based on this information, the PDC finds that no further action is warranted and has dismissed this matter in accordance with RCW 42.17A.755(1).

Disposition

Case Closed with Reminder

Date Opened

June 02, 2022

Areas of Law

RCW 42.17A.417, RCW 42.17A.710

Documents

• 108986 Ramel Alex Reminder - Respondent.pdf
• 108986 Alex Ramel Complaint.pdf
• 108986 Ramel Alex Reminder - Complainant.pdf
• 108986 Ramel Alex Response.pdf