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Larry Norton Quoted in BNA Article About First Bush Administration Official Pleading Criminal Campaign Violations

February 3, 2009

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The following is available from the BNA (Money & Politics Report). The publication is available by subscription only. The following excerpt mentions a high-profile court case and quotes by Larry Norton, Womble Carlyle's Political Team leader.

Excerpt
Official From First Bush Administration Will Plead to Criminal Campaign Violations

Jerry Pierce-Santos, a former high-ranking official in the administration of former President George H.W. Bush and a major Republican fund-raiser, intends to plead guilty to single felony count of campaign finance violations, a lawyer for Pierce-Santos told a federal judge Feb. 2 (U.S. v. Pierce-Santos, D.D.C., Criminal No. 09-14, status hearing 2/2/09).

The exchange came during a court hearing in which attorneys for Santos and the Justice Department asked a skeptical U.S. District Judge Emmett Sullivan to delay until April a formal plea hearing in the case.

An attorney not involved in the Pierce-Santos case, former Federal Election Commission General Counsel Lawrence Norton, pointed to the case as another sign that the Justice Department is not hesitating to assert its “overlapping jurisdiction” with the FEC in certain campaign finance cases. DOJ has authority for criminal prosecution of such cases, while the FEC also has authority to investigate alleged violations and pursue them through a civil enforcement process.

Norton, now with the law firm Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, commented on the Pierce Santos case in a recent posting on his blog at http://womblepoliticallaw.blogspot.com. He said the case showed that, while the FEC may have had trouble recently in reaching consensus on how to pursue some enforcement cases, this has not prevented the Justice Department from acting.

This document is intended as an informational reminder and does not constitute legal advice. If you have any questions or would like to discuss a particular situation, please contact Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, LLP. The purpose of this article is to provide general information about significant legal developments and should not be construed as legal advice on any specific facts and circumstances.