Montgomery Turns In Campaign Records

An official from the state’s Fair Political Practices Commission said former Moorpark City Councilman Scott Montgomery has complied with a Los Angeles Superior Court order and turned over campaign records dating back three years.

In December, Superior Court Judge Robert O’Brien ordered Montgomery to turn over campaign records and make himself available to commission investigators.

The commission had been trying since May to audit Montgomery’s various council campaigns dating back to 1992 and was unable to get him to either turn over all of the records or be questioned under oath.

Montgomery’s attorney, Dan Schmidt, said Montgomery has wanted to cooperate but wanted to wait until after a criminal investigation by the district attorney’s office was complete.

The investigation ended in October when Montgomery pleaded guilty to felony and misdemeanor conflict-of-interest charges for accepting a $3,500 payment from a trash company executive. He later tried to withdraw his plea, but earlier this month, a Ventura County Municipal Court judge denied the request and let the plea stand.

Montgomery is scheduled to be sentenced in February and faces up to 3 1/2 years in jail and $10,000 in fines.

The commission’s audit into Montgomery’s campaign is focused solely on how Montgomery spent and accounted for campaign contributions. The commission requested copies of:

* All bank statements and deposit slips from Montgomery’s campaign committee.

* Copies of contributors’ checks, including those of less than $100.

* Copies of invoices and canceled checks for committee expenditures, including those of less than $100.

Commission spokesman Gary Huckaby would not comment on whether all the files requested were submitted. The files were received Tuesday morning and were being reviewed by commission attorneys, he said.