A government watchdog group on Monday called for a federal investigation of Republican Senate candidate Steve Garvey, saying the former Dodgers All-Star broke the law by failing to disclose some of his income last year.
End Citizens United, a left-leaning campaign finance reform group, filed a six-page complaint with the Justice Department on Monday afternoon, accusing Garvey of omitting information from annual financial disclosure forms that Senate candidates are required by law to fill out.
The group's president, Tiffany Mueller, said Garvey's glaring omissions from his 2023 financial disclosures amounted to “intentional misleading of California voters.”
“His refusal to file a full and truthful personal financial disclosure report is not only a clear violation of the law, but a betrayal of the public trust,” she said in a statement, adding that voters “are entitled to full transparency about his financial dealings so we can identify any conflicts of interest and better understand what he stands to gain from serving in the United States Senate.”
Garvey's campaign confirmed it had received the complaint but did not immediately respond to questions.
Garvey, a former first baseman for the Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres, is scheduled to face Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) in November for the seat once held by the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein.
Garvey Reported Revenues He reported making $121,874 last year, including $93,700 for “memorabilia signings” and “corporate entertainment” from Nebraska-based marketing firm IPG DXTRA, and receiving up to $130,000 from his retirement plans, including his major league pension.
His disclosure statement also lists hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes at an 8% interest rate.
Garvey said in a disclosure filing last year that he had not received more than $200 in exchange for speaking engagements, articles or public appearances, or for any charitable contributions made on his behalf.
But the complaint says Garvey made at least seven public appearances last year that were unrelated to his campaign, three of which were organized by organizers. Said slate Reporter Garvey was paid.
Garvey too Have an account on Cameois a platform where you can buy personalized videos from athletes, actors, and other celebrities. Although the page says it's “currently unavailable,” earlier this year the service was charging $149 per video.
Garvey's Cameo page has dozens of reviews from customers thanking him for producing videos for retirements, birthday parties and other milestone celebrations last year, but the lawsuit says Garvey never reported any income from Cameo.
Senate candidates are also required to disclose all checking and savings accounts held by themselves or their spouses with balances of more than $5,000 or income of more than $200. Garvey reported that he had none.
In a letter to the Department of Justice's Public Integrity Division, the groups urged it to act swiftly “to ensure that Mr. Garvey complies with federal law and that the public is fully informed of Mr. Garvey's financial situation as a candidate for the United States Senate.”
