Fair Political Practices Commission Investigation of La Mirada Councilman Andrew Sarega Remains ‘Active’

Andrew Sarega is under investigation by the FPPC for major campaign finance violations related to the March 2017 City Council elections.

 

By Brian Hews

The Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC) has confirmed that the campaign finance investigation involving La Mirada Councilman Andrew Sarega, started after the La Mirada City Council election in March 2017, continues to be active and ongoing.

The investigation was a result of a series of articles exclusively published by Hews Media Group-La Mirada Lamplighter prior to the March 2017 election and centers around losing District 1 candidate Tony Aiello, current Republican congressional candidate Stelian Onufrie, and Serega.

In an email, FPPC spokesperson Jay Wierenga told HMG-CN, “I was forwarded an email from Enforcement regarding your inquiry, I can say the case is active.”

The FPPC is looking at an independent expenditure committee called Residents for a Better La Mirada, (RBLM) and whether the independent expenditure committee colluded with Sarega and Aiello in sending out campaign materials, a major FPPC violation that carries heavy fines.

Independent expenditure committees are just that, by law they have to be independent from any candidate and cannot be controlled by anyone running for office.

Onufrie was the only person who donated to RBLM, an eye-opening $6,500, hiding under a construction company that listed it’s address as a PO Box at a UPS store in La Habra.

RBLM spent almost the entire amount, a record for La Mirada politics, on campaign mailer’s supporting Aiello and Sarega and slamming their opponents John Lewis and Pauline Deal in vitriolic material not seen in La Mirada City Council elections.

Deal lost to Sarega, but the other part of their plan was foiled, Lewis beat Aiello.

The attack campaign mailers against Lewis and Deal were strikingly similar in graphic design and content. They were also printed and mailed from the same post office in a remote city in the state of Texas.

The revelation of the campaign information triggered the FPPC investigation.

Adding more evidence to the investigation, after the FPPC started its investigation, Onufrie announced his congressional candidacy and hired Sarega as “campaign manager.”

Soon after that, Sarega and Onufrie hired Randy Economy, who attempted to shut down social media platform after he resigned from HMG-CN, and gave a defamatory and libelous declaration in the recent defamation lawsuit by Leticia Vasquez against Hews Media Group, a lawsuit she lost and now must pay over $70,000 in fees.

A few years ago, Economy was arrested, charged with 3 drug violations and plead guilty to methamphetamine possession. The other two counts, under the influence of a controlled substance, and possessing a device used for unlawfully injecting or smoking a controlled substance were dropped.

Economy omitted the information when he applied for employment at HMG-CN, it was only a few years later when the violations were revealed which triggered his eventual departure.