Georgia state senators admit to campaign finance violations

David Wickert, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Jun 12, 2025

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Two Georgia state senators admitted to violating campaign finance laws under agreements approved Thursday by the State Ethics Commission.

The commission approved consent orders with state Sen. Colton Moore, R-Trenton, and Sen. Freddie Powell Sims, D-Dawson. Each admitted to failing to file various campaign contribution disclosure reports and personal financial disclosure reports.

The commission tabled a similar agreement with Sen. Derek Mallow, D-Savannah, to renegotiate some language in the document. The investigation of a fourth senator — Kenya Wicks, D-Fayette — to determine if she failed to file a campaign report is still pending.

The commission launched all the investigations in February after a routine audit of legislators’ campaign filings.

State law requires elected officials and candidates for public office to file regular reports on their campaign contributions and expenditures, as well as annual disclosures that provide details of their personal finances. The disclosures provide voters information about the candidates and the business and political interests that support their campaigns.

In a consent order approved Thursday, Moore admitted he failed to file a January 2025 campaign report and personal financial disclosures for 2022 and 2023. He will pay $500 in late fees and penalties.

Sims admitted she failed to file her December 2024 and January 2025 campaign reports and her 2023 personal financial disclosure. She will pay $375 in late fees and penalties.

The commission also considered an agreement with Mallow, who admitted he failed to file six campaign reports from April 2024 to January 2025. He also failed to file his 2022 personal financial disclosure. He agreed to pay $1,000 in late fees and civil penalties.

But the commission tabled the Mallow order out of concern for language that stated Mallow believed he was in compliance with disclosure requirements based on information on the commission’s website. Executive Director David Emadi, executive director of the State Ethics Commission, told the commission that information on the website was correct, but Mallow misread it.

Commissioners tabled action on Mallow’s case until a new consent order can be negotiated.

None of the senators attended the meeting in person. They either declined to comment through a Senate spokesperson or did not respond to a request for comment.

In all three cases, the consent orders indicate the senators “took for responsibility” for their oversights and were “extremely cooperative” with the investigations.

Meanwhile, the investigation of Wicks is still pending. The complaint against her said she failed to file a campaign contribution report in January 2025. Ethics commission records indicate Wicks filed the report on Feb. 18 — five days after the complaint.