An Illinois State Board of Elections hearing officer is expected to issue a recommendation next month regarding allegations that the state's auditor general violated campaign finance disclosure laws while serving as a Democratic state representative.
Hours of testimony focused on the issue of whether Frank Mautino's now-defunct campaign committee must update spending reports to provide additional details about how money was spent.
The examination comes after a group called the Edgar County Watchdogs raised questions about why the fund reported spending more than $247,000 on fuel and car repairs over 16 years. It has expanded to include a look at $30,000 worth of expenditures to a local bank. The federal government also has begun an investigation.
Mautino received overwhelming bipartisan support when lawmakers appointed him to a 10-year term as Illinois' chief financial watchdog in 2015.
