PROVIDENCE — Former state Representative Lawrence M. “Larry” Valencia, a Democrat who launched a short-lived campaign for lieutenant governor this year and was once president of Operation Clean Government, is accused of using at least $2,500 in Richmond Democratic Town Committee funds for personal use.
And Charmaine Webster, a Democrat who lost a race for the Woonsocket City Council, is accused of using money from her campaign account for personal use.
The state Board of Elections on Wednesday announced it is referring Valencia and Webster to Attorney General Peter F. Neronha’s office for possible civil or criminal prosecution, saying both cases involve “serious campaign finance violations.”
Valencia served as treasurer/deputy treasurer of the Richmond Town Democratic Committee from November 2015 until a successor was named in June of this year. The new treasurer raised concerns about the committee’s campaign bank account, prompting the Board of Elections to conduct an audit.
Valencia “admitted that he took committee funds for personal use,” the audit says. “Valencia took the committee’s funds by keeping cash received at fundraisers or by writing committee checks to himself. Valencia stated that, although there were extenuating circumstances in his personal life at the time, he makes no excuses, takes full responsibility for his actions, and knows that what he did is wrong.”
When contacted by the Globe on Tuesday, Valencia said, “No comment.”
Valencia told the board he replenished the committee’s account for the full amount taken — $2,500 — but acknowledged he has no accounting records to prove it, said Richard Thornton, campaign finance director for the Board of Elections.
“In some towns, campaign fundraising involves cash, with raffles and pancake breakfasts,” Thornton said. “And without internal controls, there are no records, so it is hard to determine the exact amount that may have been misappropriated.”
Among other things, the audit found that a campaign finance report indicated that Valencia was reimbursed for $80 in stationery in April 2019, but Valencia wrote a check for $700 and cashed it.
The audit found that Valencia wrote and cashed another check for $700 in January 2020, but that was not reported on the campaign finance report filed with the Board of Elections.
And the audit said that records to support contributions and expenditures were not preserved, in violation of state law.
In May, Valencia announced that he was running for lieutenant governor, saying that if elected he would accept no salary and would try to eliminate the position, just as the late Cool Moose Party founder Robert J. Healey Jr. had done when he ran for lieutenant governor.
But Valencia collected just 235 of the necessary 500 signatures needed to qualify for the Democratic primary ballot, according to the secretary of state’s office.
Valencia represented House District 39 (Richmond, Exeter, Hopkinton) from 2011 to 2015, serving on the powerful House Finance Committee. He served 12 years on the Richmond Zoning Board of Review, and he was chair of the town Economic Development Commission and Home Rule Charter Commission.
When he announced his run for lieutenant governor, he was working for Foundation Medicine Inc. in Cambridge, Mass., as a technical writer, and living in Cranston and Narragansett.
The Board of Elections also referred Webster, an unsuccessful 2020 candidate for the Woonsocket City Council, to the attorney general, alleging she used $2,595 in campaign funds for personal use.
“Webster acknowledges she used campaign funds for personal use due to a financial hardship she was experiencing at the time,” the audit says. “She takes responsibility for the campaign finance violations and is willing to make full restitution.”
This year, Webster was elected to the Woonsocket Democratic City Committee. She could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.
Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at edward.fitzpatrick@globe.com. Follow him @FitzProv.