Kacie Starr Triplett admitted to misusing between 8,000 and $18,900 in campaign contributions in a consent order filed February 26 with the Missouri Ethics Commission, which enforces campaign law in Missouri.
The consent order can be viewed here:
http://mec.mo.gov/Scanned/CaseDocsPDF/18758.pdf
She had raised the funds for Friends of Kacie Starr Triplett, the fundraising committee for her campaigns for 6th Ward alderman. In addition to the committee’s bank account, Triplett also admitted to misusing funds from its PayPal account.
She was first elected to the office in 2007 at the age of 26. She was reelected in 2011 and then resigned in 2012 to accept a consulting contract with Behavioral Health Network.
According to the filing with the commission, Triplett first submitted records of her misdeeds when the commission reviewed her committee in April 2013, after she had resigned from office. Her records were subpoenaed by the commission on September 12, 2013.
Triplett misused the funds to pay for the basics, as well as frills, of her personal life. She admitted to paying $4,450 in mortgage fees, at least $2,763 in “food, beverage and entertainment,” $1,925 in credit card debt, at least $1,068 in “salon and spa services,” at least $1,021 from miscellaneous stores, more than $1,000 in phone bills, more than $640 in students loans and more than $450 in utility bills from her campaign funds
She also took at least $4,284 in cold cash from the campaign committee.
The earliest of these misuses of the campaign fund noted in the consent order is February 3, 2010, late in her first term as alderman. The last date noted in the consent order is March 31, 2011, early in her second term that was quickly abbreviated by her resignation.
Triplett also admitted to eight other counts of filing irregularities and errors in the handling of her campaign account, including unreported expenditures and falsely reported expenditures. To take one example of dozens, she paid her mortgage in $1,158.05 of campaign funds but reported it to the commission as a purchase of equipment from Best Buy.
In the consent order, Triplett agreed to pay the commission $100,000 in fees or $10,000 in fees within the next 45 days. This comes with the condition that if she violates any other campaign law within the next two years, she would owe the commission the remainder of the $100,000.
Triplett has announced no intention to reenter politics within the next two years. After the consent order was reported on Thursday, Triplett reportedly resigned from her consulting position with Behavioral Health Network.
Also on Thursday, Triplett sent the following message by email to friends and supporters:
I am full of regret for not fulfilling the trust, support and friendship you have given me. But most of all, I am sorry.
It will soon become public that, while serving as Alderman, I converted campaign funds for personal use. My actions were illegal and indefensible.
Regrettably, my mistakes resulted not from need, but from greed and selfishness. I fell into a behavior in which, if I desired something that I could not afford, I used my campaign funds to buy it. This was wrong.
My conduct began on a small-scale that I erroneously convinced myself was innocent and harmless. However, I now realize that the misappropriation of any amount is improper and beneath the standards for anyone who serves the public.
Last fall, I contacted the Missouri Ethics Commission to notify them of my violations of our state’s election law. Along with legal counsel, I met with them in Jefferson City and laid out every dollar spent on personal use. We provided every transaction and bank statement in an attempt to provide complete transparency for my mistakes. This week, we finalized an agreement documenting my violations and stipulating the restitution and fines I will pay as a result of my actions.
While the official inquiry has concluded, this letter is the first step of my journey to rebuild the trust of individuals like you. So many people took a chance and voted for me at the age of 26. You knocked on doors for me and stood out in the rain for me. You believed in me and I know I have disappointed you. Nothing is more important to me than repairing the damage I have done.
Please know that I am committed to making good on my very bad judgment. I am not yet sure what God and the future holds for me, but I know the first step is to admit what I have done and to no longer keep things in the dark. I pray that somehow out of this mistake, God in the end will get the glory.
Again, I am deeply sorry for my actions, ask for your forgiveness, and welcome your prayers and continued friendship.
Sincerely,
Kacie Starr Triplett
