West Texas Pastor Who Used Illegal Donations From Churches to Campaign for Office Is Fined $3,500

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https://www.propublica.org/article/pastor-abilene-fined-illegal-campaign-contributions

West Texas Pastor Who Used Illegal Donations From Churches to Campaign for Office Is Fined $3,500

Fines issued to Scott Beard of Abilene’s Fountaingate Fellowship and two pastors follow reporting from ProPublica and The Texas Tribune that revealed the churches donated to his campaign for local office despite state and federal prohibitions.

by Jessica Priest
Co-published with The Texas Tribune
July 8, 5 a.m. CDT

[...]

A West Texas pastor who used his parish’s resources to campaign for office and several pastors from other churches who donated to him were fined after the state’s ethics commission determined that each violated election law.

The fines, some of which were issued last month, are the latest sanction from the commission following reporting from ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, which revealed that three churches donated to the campaign of Scott Beard, founding pastor at Fountaingate Fellowship church, despite state and federal prohibitions on such activity.

[...]

[Wonder Why]

1. The IRS needs to crack down on any non-profit that makes illegal donations. Perhaps, taking away their

non-profit tax exemption for a year or two will remind them that they have forgotten why they are tax exempt. And it has nothing to do with religion - it should apply to any non profit or not-for-profit organization that fails to follow the laws on donations, income or use of its funds.