Braintree-based Daniel J. Quirk Inc. and Quincy Auto Auction Inc. made a $60,000 payment to the state’s general fund to resolve issues concerning prohibited contributions to several candidates, according to a disposition agreement between The Massachusetts Office of Campaign Finance (OCPF) and the businesses.
The two affiliated auto dealership companies, owned by Daniel Quirk, contributed $19,500 from 2013-2015 to four candidates by providing the funds to employees, who subsequently gave the money to the political committees, according to the agreement.
An investigation by OCPF fount that Quirk illegally donated money to four campaign accounts, including Gov. Charles Baker, Quincy City Councilor Brad Croall, Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch and former attorney general candidate Warren Tolman.
The dealerships arranged for employees to make 39 total contributions of $500 each, using funds provided by the corporations.
The campaign finance law prohibits corporate contributions to candidates, and prohibits disguising the true source of funds.
The committees will disgorge the amounts they received in prohibited contributions – Koch, $7,000; Croall, $6,000; Tolman, $4,000; and Baker, $2,500. The money can be given to the state, a city or town, a scholarship fund or a charity or religious organization.
OCPF says that the candidates and committees were unaware that the contributions were made with corporate funds until notified during OCPF’s review, according to the agreement.
Quirk agreed not to solicit contributions from his employees for any Massachusetts candidate or political committee for three years, according to the agreement.
The agreement, signed by Quirk and OCPF Director Michael Sullivan, is available by clicking here.
A disposition agreement is a voluntary written agreement entered into between the subject of a review and OCPF, in which the subject agrees to take certain specific actions.
The Office of Campaign and Political Finance is an independent state agency that administers the campaign finance law, MGL Chapter 55, and the limited public financing program for statewide candidates, MGL Chapter 55C. Established in 1973, OCPF is the depository for disclosure reports filed by candidates and political committees.