Florence, SC (WLTX) - Computer purchases, an iPad and possible country club dues.
That's what former Congressman Robin Tallon Jr. reported as payment from his has campaign account, now 25 years after he left office.
In 1993 Tallon left the House of Representatives as a Democratic Congressman, representing South Carolina's 6th District. However, for the past 25 years Tallon has been working as a lobbyist in Washington D.C. During that time his campaign account was still open.
In 2005 he began actively spending his campaign funds and that spending has continued for more than a dozen years. Buying a computer in 2007 for nearly $4,000, a $2,300 computer purchase in 2014. Also he made a $935 iPad purchase in 2017.
"It's hard to imagine how someone who has been out of congress a long time, spending campaign funds on technology or phones, or anything along those lines, is doing so to further their activities as a candidate or an office holder," says Adav Noti, former attorney for the Federal Election Commission, who now works as a senior director at the Campaign Legal Center in Washington. "Much of that activity is illegal. You cannot convert your campaign money to your own personal use."
Between 2007 and 2011, Tallon paid roughly $8,200 in "dues" to an organization identified only as "CCSC." The organization has the same initials in a development where he lives, the Country Club of South Carolina.
"Paying for dues at a club, again, I can't imagine an argument that that is legal," says Noti. "Once someone is out of congress, any expenses that they incur to join a club, their doing as a private citizen, not as a member of congress. So they can't use campaign funds for that."
The FEC says candidates should never use campaign funds for personal use and after a six-month wind-down period, retired lawmakers should close their accounts and donate leftover money to charity or other established political committees.
However, there's a loophole. They aren't required to retire their campaigns. So, these politicians can keep their lucrative accounts open indefinitely.
Our sister station in Tampa, FL was able to speak with Tallon on the phone back in November of 2017, where he said "I don't think the likelihood (of running for office) is very high right now, and I'm retiring from my consulting work in Washington. I need to give that money back at this point."
Tallon's campaign submitted their end of the year report to the FEC on January 16, 2018. The account was still listed as open and his campaign still has $1,016,405 on hand.
For a full look at the Tegna-wide Zombie Campaign investigation, click on the link here.