George Maziarz

In March 2018, Maziarz pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor to avoid trial on five felony charges arising out of the alleged filing of false campaign finance reports.

[6] In July 2014, "amid reports that his office [was] under investigation by a federal prosecutor,"[7] Maziarz announced that he would not seek re-election to the Senate that fall.

"[9] A review of Maziarz's bank records showed "personal, nonpolitical expenditures" made from campaign accounts; from 2007 through 2013, investigators found that credit and debit cards associated with Maziarz's campaign funds were used to pay "$28,000 at stores like Pier 1 and Michaels; $7,500 at Shutterfly, the photo-printing site; and $7,850 for reading material, including a stop at a Borders store at Kennedy Airport.

The New York State Attorney General's Office charged that Maziarz had made the reports to illegally conceal $100,000 in payments to a former aide who had departed from his position amid accusations of sexual harassment.

Maziarz was fined $1,000 "after admitting to one count of offering a false instrument for filing as part of a scheme to cover up payments from his political campaign.