Republican state senator reprimanded, ordered to pay nearly $125,000

Retiring state Sen. Ray Cleary must pay nearly $125,000 for violating state ethics laws by improperly reporting campaign expenses, donations and refunds.

The Senate Ethics Committee on Monday publicly reprimanded Cleary, a Georgetown Republican, and ordered him to pay a $41,900 fine. He also must return $48,000 to his campaign account, reimburse the committee $27,400, and donate $7,500 to a children’s charity.

Cleary says he is being punished for technical violations but nothing fraudulent. He insists he never used a penny of campaign donations for personal expenses. The 68-year-old dentist says he delegated the filing of quarterly online reports amid his busy schedule but realizes that was his responsibility.

Cleary has been in the Senate since 2005. The violations stem from his 2013 through 2015 campaign reports.

This story was originally published October 31, 2016 at 5:14 PM with the headline "Republican state senator reprimanded, ordered to pay nearly $125,000."