KLEPT, did Serpico campaign give candidate $10,000?

In September, 2006 Citizens to Elect Ron Serpico, Sr. Inc wrote two checks to Ronald M. Serpico, Sr. totaling $10,000 for "loan repayments". The first check was for $2,500 on September 15, 2006 and the second check was for $7,500 on September 26, 2006.

Candidates sometimes loan their campaigns money.

But according to Serpico's disclosure forms none of the campaigns $32,018.54 debt was held by Serpico.

Serpico's campaign owes:

• $9,500+ Anthony Bruno and Illinois Development Services Corp.
• $4,500 Josesp Giglio
• $4,500 Alfred Ronan
• $4,500 Swinford Partnership, Ltd
• $4,500 Louis P. Vitullo
• $4,500 ziolkowski porter damato + associates llc

Serpico's campaign had the same debt before and after the reporting period.

Did Serpico just give himself $10,000 from his campaign committee?

The Illinois State Board of Elections does little to enforce election law, except hassling campaigns about submitting their forms on-time. So if a candidate skimmed money from a campaign the board probably wouldn't look into it unless someone filed a complaint.

[UPDATE: Serpico also gave his campaign money during the same reporting period, but did not report it as a loan.

[On July 30, 2006 Serpico gave the campaign $10,000. On August 30, 2006 Serpico gave the campaign $7,500. So Serpico gave $17,500 before taking $10,000 as a loan repayment.

[But later Serpico gave to the campaign claiming he was repaying a loan from the campaign to the candidate. On October 19, 2006 the candidate paid back a $7,500 loan. And on December 1, 2006 Serpico paid $2,500 back to the campaign that had been loaned to him.

[Serpico also made a $7,500 contribution to the campaign on October 8, 2006.]