Boggs avoids fine for unintentional ethics violation

CARSON CITY -- The state Ethics Commission on Thursday found former Clark County Commissioner Lynette Boggs guilty of violating a state ethics law but did not fine her for the violation.

Commissioners found Boggs did not "willfully" violate the law that requires public officials to disclose on financial statements their involvement in any company.

As a consequence, Boggs will not be fined or face any criminal sanctions.

Public officials found guilty of willful violations face potential fines of thousands of dollars.

Former state Controller Kathy Augustine was fined $15,000 in 2004 for three willful violations of campaign ethics laws.

While on the County Commission, Boggs failed to mention in two financial disclosure statements that she was an officer in Star LLC.

She argued in a letter written in January to Ethics Commission investigators that her omission of Star was "unintentional and an oversight." She also pointed out that information about her relationship with the company was public record available from the secretary of state's office.

Boggs and her lawyer John Mowbray attended Thursday's meeting in Las Vegas. Proceedings were broadcast in Carson City and Las Vegas.

She did not speak during the brief proceedings.

The agreement that Boggs would accept the unwillful violation finding had been worked out in advance by her and Ethics Commission Executive Director Patty Cafferata.

Commissioners had a choice to accept the agreement, propose something else or conduct a full-fledged hearing on the violation.