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WPRO News and the Associated Press
A hearing officer for the secretary of state’s office has found that a consultant for Curt Schilling’s 38 Studios violated lobbying laws by failing to register as a lobbyist for the failed video game company before it received a $75 million state loan guarantee.
The decision released Friday recommends that Michael Corso be required to file lobbying reports for 2010 within seven days or pay a $2,000 fine. It must be adopted by Secretary of State Ralph Mollis. The office enforces lobbying laws.
Corso’s lawyers call the proceeding a sham and say the conclusions are made without evidence and have no legal support. They say they’ll appeal to the superior court if Mollis adopts the finding.
In a statement Mollis said in part:
“While I understand R.I. General Law caps the fine at $2,000 per violation, I will be asking for clarification on “per violation” while also asking if additional fines can be levied due to Executive Lobbying.”
