Desso spending campaign contributions on an accounting firm

It's a highly unusual expense when you find a political committee spending contributions on accounting services. In fact, it's the first one we've seen. Lou Desso's campaign contributions and expenses have been the subject of much controversy and he has attracted the attention of the State Police and the NY Attorney General's Public Integrity Unit.

Some of the things he has been criticized for include at least two contributions of $1500 each which exceed the maximum amount allowed by law. They were from folks connected Horodowski Homes and by law, Desso should have been required to return $500.00 from each of the two contributions. Another ongoing issue is his accounting for money never paid to Moscatiello's Restaurant. Desso still legally owes $1260.00 to the restaurant from his July 2015 fundraiser after which he stiffed the owner for a $7000.00 bill and which he utterly failed to report it to the State.

After a court ordered him to pay the maximum amount it could order by law, $5000.00, Desso failed to correct his financial disclosure report to note he was keeping the unpaid balance of his bill, $1260.00, never recording it as a contribution as the law requires. You see Desso received a documented "in kind" contribution from the restaurant for $750.00 and with the maximum they could have donated being $1000.00, Desso could not legally report the unpaid balance as a contribution. So his financial disclosure statement remains falsified. And lets not forget that after being questioned by the Times Union about the unpaid bill, he first had his Treasurer list the entire $7000 as a donation but quickly amended it upon being informed it was unlawfully high.

But back to the new expense of $860.00 to an accounting firm. Why would he have to hire an accounting firm and spend such a  large sum concerning his campaign contributions and expenditures? Surely he wasn't using campaign funds for personal use like having his taxes prepared. The best guess is that Desso was reacting to an event from this State investigation into his activities. Perhaps a subpeona?

This expense was within a week of his announcement that he and his wife, who is his treasurer, "needed a rest". His pun, not ours. Stay tuned.