Maziarz Maintained Strong Fundraising Amid Investigation

State Sen. George Maziarz’s campaign spending has come under scrutiny, first from the now defunct Moreland Commission and now from U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, but the allegations of misspent funds do not appear to have turned donors away, his latest campaign filing shows.

Maziarz, who announced this past weekend that he would not run for reelection, raked in $268,130 in the latest filing period. Comparing that amount to the equivalent period during recent election years, it exceeds the $239,090 he raised in the first half of 2012 and $179,380 in the same period in 2010.

The Western New York senator’s latest haul, which brings his total war chest to a little over a million dollars, also exceeds the $251,082 he raised in the second half of 2013.

City & State reported in May that Maziarz had become a top target in a Moreland Commission inquiry into potential personal use of campaign funds. He had more than $140,000 in unitemized spending over a six-year period, far more than any other lawmaker, raising questions about whether vaguely explained lump sum totals masked payments for items unrelated to the campaign. Commissioner investigators also concluded that he had $56,000 in campaign expenses that were not reported. 

Maziarz has said that he did not do anything wrong, and denied any connection between the investigations and his decision to retire from elected office.

A spokesman for the senator declined to comment on his fundraising totals or what he would do with the money since he is no longer running for reelection.