By Lindsey Collom
The Arizona Republic
A former Pinal County constable candidate and a political-action committee that supported him have each been fined thousands of dollars for campaign-finance violations.
The Gila County Attorney’s Office ordered Ryan Sudrick of the San Tan Valley area to pay the Pinal County Elections Department $5,206.68 for accepting an illegal campaign contribution from Southwest Border Sheriffs, a PAC that formed after paying for Sudrick’s campaign signs.
The fine is equal to three times the amount his committee received in excess of $500. Sudrick had filed a $500 threshold statement when he registered as a candidate, indicating his campaign would not spend or receive more than that.
The office also fined Sudrick $4,079.37 for accepting more than $430 — the state-set limit — in cash or services from a single contributor. The County Attorney’s Office, which issued the order Oct. 10, said Sudrick would satisfy both penalties by paying the heftier fine.