10/08/2020 – Trophy Club, TX
Candidate for Mayor Eric Jensen is once again at the center of another scandal. This time for an alleged campaign finance violation.
On February 10, 2020, Jensen held his first official campaign rally & fundraiser at HG Sply. During that event, he held a drawing for 2 tickets to Criss Angel RAW at the theater in Grand Prairie. Jensen’s friend Dave Dickson came away with the honor of receiving those tickets and joining Eric & his wife Billie Rene’ at the concert.
The tickets do not appear on Jensen’s Campaign Finance Report. Neither as an “in-kind” donation nor as an expense for purchase. Unconfirmed reports are that Jensen’s company, Control Products Corporation (a domestic for-profit corporation where Jensen’s father, Ron Jensen, is the CEO), held box seats at the theater and that the tickets were for those box seats.
According to the Texas Ethics Commission, Rule #4:
An item donated to be auctioned at a fundraiser is an “in-kind” campaign contribution. The purchase of the item at the auction is also a contribution. Both the item and the purchase price must be reported as political contributions.
To make matters worse, if box seats were owned by Jensen’s company, Rule #6 states:
Texas law prohibits corporations and labor organizations from making political contributions to candidates, officeholders, and related specific-purpose committees. Contributions to GPACs are also restricted. Limited exceptions also exist.
The prohibition also applies to other organizations, such as partnerships and limited liability companies (LLC), if they are owned by a corporation or include an incorporated member or partner.
Therefore, while the situation is bad if Jensen purchased the tickets personally and then donated the tickets to his campaign without disclosing it, it is even more damaging if the tickets were owned by his Corporation which then donated them to his campaign.
The Trophy Club Journal reached out to Mr. Jensen but as of printing he has not returned our invitation to discuss the issue.
If Jensen is hit with an ethics violation, he could be liable to the State for 3x the value of the tickets. At that time, Criss Angel general admission tickets were about $120 each. If the tickets were box seats, they would be worth considerably more. In addition to the general fine, civil penalties could also be imposed at any amount deemed appropriate by the Ethics Commission.
Jensen is not the first of his friend group to have issues with their Campaign Finance Reports. The Trophy Club Journal recently published a report about Tiffany Nimphius’ Campaign Finance issues. Jensen was Nimphius’ primary supporter in her run for Town Council last May. She ultimately lost to Karl Monger after the Trophy Club Journal revealed she had nearly $50,000 in IRS tax liens.
Of course, the State doesn’t automatically do Ethics investigations. A citizen must first file a complaint before they will investigate. Therefore, if nobody files a complaint Jensen will likely walk away Scott-free.
If you are a concerned citizen, and would like to file an ethics complaint against any candidate, you may complete this form and submit it to the ethics commission: https://www.ethics.state.tx.us/data/forms/sworn_complaints/complaint.pdf
The Trophy Club Journal reviewed all Campaign Finance Reports from all candidates in this election cycle. Jensen was the only candidate that we found to have errors or omissions. Interestingly, Jensen’s friend and running mate Rhylan Rowe had the most accurate and professionally prepared report. The irony is thick … Jensen bills himself at the professional whereas Rowe is the most unprofessional of all candidates.
Click below to download Jensen’s Campaign Finance Reports. Report number 1 covers the period of his campaign fundraiser. These reports are public information and are presented as received, without redactions.
## Correction. We changed the content to reflect that it was a “drawing” for tickets…not a raffle.
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