Brescia campaign contribution exceeds legal limit

By Connor Linskey
Posted 7/29/20

Steven Brescia, the Republican nominee for NY Senate District 39, accepted an illegal campaign contribution from MFPJJRT Enterprises Inc. for $7,500, which is 50 percent over the legal …

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Brescia campaign contribution exceeds legal limit

Posted

Steven Brescia, the Republican nominee for NY Senate District 39, accepted an illegal campaign contribution from MFPJJRT Enterprises Inc. for $7,500, which is 50 percent over the legal limit.

MFPJJRT Enterprises Inc. is a restaurant supplier and distributor of food and equipment specializing in Italian and Greek imported goods including non-perishables, frozen seafood and boxed meats. The company is headquartered in New Windsor.

The contribution was recently disclosed on July 15 in the NYS Board of Elections Disclosure Report. This donation was reportedly received on March 1. The corporate contribution limit to a single candidate in the state of New York is $5,000 and a corporation may donate no more than $5,000 total to all candidates running in state elections.

Brescia must return $2,500 to MFPJJRT Enterprises Inc. so he is compliant with the legal limit. He said he was unaware that this contribution was illegal, stating that he believed the corporate contribution limit to a single candidate was $11,800.

“We’ll apologize and make the correction whatever way we can,” Brescia said.

“My campaign for State Senate has received an outpouring of local support from a number of businesses and individuals since my kickoff earlier this year,” said Brescia, who is also mayor of the Village of Montgomery and chairman of the Orange County Legislature. “One of these donations exceeded campaign limits and will be refunded immediately. Rest assured, I will continue to fight to protect Hudson Valley families and businesses from Albany politicians and their disastrous anti-business pro-crime agenda.”

Village of Montgomery resident Don Berger noted that Brescia should have known better in regards to receiving the illegal campaign donation.
“He should be held accountable for any donations received, particularly in excess,” said Berger, who was once targeted by Brescia for failure to disclose a campaign expense in the 2017 Village of Montgomery election. “He’s been a politician for over 30 years, so he certainly knows about campaign donations and the limitations on them.”

State Senator. James Skoufis, who is being challenged by Brescia for the 39th Senate District seat, declined to comment.