Law Firm Owners Pay $10,000 to Resolve Contributions to Polito Campaign

Owners of a Worcester law firm agreed to pay $10,000 to resolve issues concerning prohibited contributions to the Karyn Polito Committee.

Polito is the current Lt. Governor and formerly served Worcester’s Eleventh District, which included Westborough and Shrewsbury.

Louise Aloise and Michael Wilcox, co-owners of a Worcester law firm, agreed to pay $8,000 to the state’s general fund as part of a disposition agreement concerning prohibited contributions to a statewide candidate, according to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance. Each owner also agreed to make a $1,000 donation to charity.

Aloise and Wilcox reportedly gave three of their employees $1,000 each to reimburse them for contributions the employees would make, at the request of the owners, to the Karyn Polito Committee in April, 2014, according to the Sept. 30 disposition agreement between OCPF and the owners.

Both had agreed to invite friends and colleagues to a Polito fundraiser at a Worcester restaurant in April of 2014. Shortly before the event, Aloise and Wilcox became aware that no one they had invited could attend the fundraiser. They instead invited three employees and their spouses to attend.

Each of the three employees and their spouses made individual $500 contributions to the Polito Committee on April 23 with money that was provided to them by Aloise and Wilcox, said the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance. The owners of the law firm and their spouses also contributed $500 each, using their personal funds.

The campaign finance law prohibits an individual from making a contribution by disguising the true origin of the funds. The law also capped individual contributions to $500 per calendar year in 2014 (starting Jan. 1, 2015, the limit increased to $1,000).

The Polito Committee had no knowledge that the contributions were made with prohibited funds, according to the disposition agreement. The committee has disgorged $3,000, the total amount contributed by the law firm employees and their spouses, said the release.