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WILKES-BARRE — Fraud allegations have been filed with the Luzerne County elections board against city council candidate and Wilkes-Barre Area School Board President Louis Elmy, solicitor Mike Butera confirmed Wednesday.
Butera said Elmy was notified on Wednesday that a violation had been filed against him alleging his 2011 and 2015 campaign finance forms failed to fully report all contributions and expenses. The alleged violations, filed Tuesday by city resident Carl Jones, claim Elmy under-reported contributions gained during fundraisers and used campaign donations for personal use.
Reached by phone on Wednesday, Elmy denied any intentional wrongdoing and stated he was cooperating with Butera’s investigation.
“I’m getting all my paperwork together and doing what I have to do,” Elmy said.
In the coming days, Butera said he will compare Elmy’s campaign paperwork against Jones’ allegations. Butera will then ask Elmy to provide an explanation on any differences, he said.
The elections office, Butera explained, takes every complaint seriously.
“If there’s no merit it to it we just file it,” he said. “If there is merit, either we take action or we refer it to the proper agency.”
If the accusations evolve into something more and require a criminal investigation, Butera said he will make a formal request that the district attorney handle it. The county elections board does not have powers equivalent to law enforcement, he explained.
Elmy, 50, a corrections counselor at Luzerne County Correctional Facility, in 2011 won a seat on the Wilkes-Barre Area School Board. In May, he won the Democratic nomination for Wilkes-Barre City Council in District B, a seat vacated by mayoral candidate and former police chief Tony George. Elmy faces Republican Tony Brooks in Tuesday’s election.