Judge orders company to pay $1M for funneling donations to Eyman

OLYMPIA, Wash. — A judge ordered a signature-gathering firm and its principal to pay more than $1 million for deceiving Washingtonians by funneling their campaign donations to initiative activist Tim Eyman for his personal use.

Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson said the campaign finance lawsuit was filed in 2017 after for-profit firm Citizen Solutions and its principal, William Agazarm, illegally concealed a $308,185 payment to Eyman.

Eyman is best known for introducing a $30 car-tab fee initiative.

Thurston County Superior Court Judge James Dixon found in his order Monday that Agazarm "personally approved Citizen Solutions' kickback payment" to Eyman, knowing that Eyman "planned to and, in fact, did use the funds for his own personal expenses and to support the signature gathering effort for a different Eyman-supported initiative, Initiative I-517."

The court said the violations "are particularly egregious, warranting a substantial penalty," according to a news release from Ferguson's office.

Eyman released this statement Tuesday evening:

"As a political activist, I'm focused on passing our $30 Tabs Initiative, raising funds to get paid back the $500,000 Karen and I loaned to get it qualified, and asking friends for help with my legal defense fund so we can survive the $900,000 the AG's litigation has cost us so far."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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