Following an investigation by the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance, Norfolk County Sheriff Patrick McDermott agreed to pay a civil forfeiture. The investigation concluded that campaign expenditures funded McDermott’s personal and business activities in violation of state regulations.
McDermott agreed to pay a civil forfeiture of $7,500 to and forgive a personal loan to the his campaign committee worth $10,000. In addition, he agreed to pay almost $29,000 to “purge Committee funds, which were used primarily personally,” according to the disposition agreement.
Included in the agreement is a statement given by McDermott in response to the findings:
As part of the disposition agreement, McDermott produced a statement acknowledging the review’s findings.
While the campaign expenditures were “intended for legitimate political purposes,” they “have reasonably been interpreted as personal or business related,” McDermott’s statement reads. “My intent and direction at all times was to apply these resources toward my political future and the work of my campaign.”
Findings from the review of Norfolk Sheriff McDermott’s campaign finance activities
The investigation, which covered the period from January 2022 to December 2024, identified more than $37,000 in campaign expenditures that were incompletely documented or spent on services for McDermott’s business activities. Such services ranged from media relations to podcast production to a fundraising event for McDermott’s charitable organization, the disposition agreement says.
Expenditures flagged by the Office of Campaign Finance had to do with McDermott’s business, McDermott Strategic Enterprises, LLC, and the nonprofit Norfolk Sheriff’s Office Cares, which McDermott founded.
In March 2024, McDermott’s campaign committee spent $225.79 at BJ’s Wholesale club on food for one of McDermott’s real estate business meetings, the disposition agreement states.
That same month, the campaign committee advertised an event with “Norfolk County Sheriff Patrick McDermott & NSO (Norfolk Sheriff’s Office) Cares.” The invitation said to make checks payable to Norfolk Sheriff’s Office Cares and mailed to McDermott at his Quincy residence.
McDermott’s campaign committee made three expenditures on the event’s catering and live music totaling $5,400, the disposition agreement says, but didn’t report receipt of any campaign contributions in March 2024.
Additionally, the campaign committee cut a check for $250 to Norfolk Sheriff’s Office Cares in June 2022, according to the disposition agreement. State regulations prohibit political committees from donating campaign funds to a charity if the political candidate is in any way involved in the charity’s operations.
The review also identified a $1,000 contribution made by bank check from a single contributor in March 2022, the disposition agreement says. State regulations bar more than $100 from a single contributor by bank check.
The review further documented two contributions totaling $400 drawn on business accounts in June 2022, the disposition agreement says. State regulations prohibit corporations, partnerships and limited liability companies from contributions that promote any candidate to public office.
Peter Blandino covers Quincy for The Patriot Ledger. Contact him at [email protected].
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