FEC fines Biden more than $200,000 for violations
Posted: Sat Jul 24, 2010 5:02 am
........but a Biden spokesman called it commonplace 
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In a report released Friday, the FEC said a mandatory audit showed the campaign had accepted contributions above the legal limit, failed to adequately pay for rides on a private jet, and issued several checks that had never been cashed.
Specifically, the FEC found Biden had not returned more than $106,000 in contributions that exceeded the legal limit of $2,300 per-person for a presidential candidate.The FEC also found the committee had not returned more than $1 million in over-the-limit contributions in "a timely manner."
The commission report also said the campaign failed to adequately pay for a ride three people received on a private jet between New Hampshire and Iowa in June of 2007 because the campaign reimbursed the owner of the aircraft at a significantly below-market rate.
The reimbursement for the flight was based on comparable commercial first-class tickets. But because the plane was designated by the Federal Aviation Administration as a charter aircraft, the campaign underpaid by close to $27,000, the FEC report says.
The FEC report also found Biden owes $86,000 as a result of stale-dated checks -- that is, checks that the payees have not cashed. According to the FEC, if the campaign has issued checks that the payees have not cashed within a reasonable time frame, the campaign must reimburse the Treasury for the amount of the outstanding checks.
