From The Tribune staff reports
MONTGOMERY — Former state Sen. David Burkette was convicted Monday for violating Alabama’s Fair Campaign Practices Act.
Burkette pleaded guilty on Sept. 21 to violating the Fair Campaign Practices Act by failing to deposit campaign contributions into his campaign checking account. The former Montgomery city councilman and Montgomery Public School educator was sentenced to 12 months of court supervised probation and ordered to pay a $3,000 fine but avoided jail time for misusing campaign finance funds.
During the plea proceedings, Burkette stipulated that, while a candidate for Montgomery City Council in 2015, he raised $3,625 in campaign donations but intentionally failed to deposit those donations into his campaign account. Instead, Burkette deposited or cashed those donations into or against his personal bank accounts.
“Candidates for public office at the state, county and municipal levels must comply with the State’s Fair Campaign Practices Act,” said Attorney General Steve Marshall. “Personally profiting from campaign funds erodes public confidence in the system and will not be tolerated.”
Burkette served on the Montgomery City Council from 2007 to 2018, when he won an election to represent Senate District 26.
