September 30, 2016: State Prosecutor Cites Corporation For Over-Contributions To Multiple Campaigns

For Immediate Release                                                                             

STATE PROSECUTOR CITES CORPORATION FOR OVER-CONTRIBUTIONS TO MULTIPLE CAMPAIGNS

State Prosecutor Emmet C. Davitt announced today that Retail Services and Systems, Inc. (“RSSI”), headquartered in Montgomery County, has been issued twelve citations, each with a fine of $5,000.00. The citations are related to an investigation by this office into over-contributions by RSSI through its wholly-owned subsidiaries to several campaigns during the 2010 to 2014 election cycle. Those campaigns include: Friends of Anthony Brown, Friends of Ken Ulman, and Friends of Peter Franchot.

In a settlement reached with RSSI’s cooperation, the parties have agreed that RSSI’s wholly-owned subsidiaries have paid $5,000 on each citation for a total of $60,000, and have made a charitable contribution in the amount of $90,000.00 to the Maryland Fair Campaign Financing Fund. Maryland election law provides for civil penalties in those cases where the contributor does not know that the act was illegal.

Davitt states, “Contributions of hundreds of thousands of dollars, given at the direction and under the control of a single entity, could result in the appearance of undue influence on the part of the contributors. In this case, the State does not have any evidence that the over-contributions were made knowing that the act was unlawful. This Office will continue to vigorously pursue these types of violations.”