STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE
Former Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray’s once robust campaign account has been spent down to just $34,620 after the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce executive shelled out nearly $200,000 over the past three months in penalties and legal fees.
After reaching a deal in August with Attorney General Martha Coakley to resolve her investigation into unlawfully solicited donations for Murray by former Chelsea Housing Authority Executive Director Michael McLaughlin, Murray’s campaign committee in early September paid a $20,000 civil fine and paid the state $50,000.
Then, in November, Murray paid off the remainder of the legal bills that have accrued throughout the investigation, including $70,000 to Nixon Peabody and $58,208 to the Worcester law firm of Aloise and Wilcox. Murray hired Aloise and Wilcox after his attorney at Cooley LLP retired.
The former lieutenant governor’s committee has also been paying Boston attorney Paul Johnson to handle compliance issues for the account.
“It’s done. He hasn’t had any new activity. All the activity has been with the negotiations with the AG over the fine and what was going to be included in the accounting,” Murray spokesman Scott Ferson told the News Service.
Once a potential candidate for governor in 2014, Murray resigned in May to become executive director of the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce.
The same report that included disclosure of legal fee payments also showed $32,331 in non-itemized receipts by Murray’s campaign account in the last two weeks of November, accounting for the bulk of the $32,762 his committee has taken in since June after Murray resigned.