By CAROLINE BECK, Alabama Daily News
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall Thursday announced the arrest of former Sen. David Burkette, D-Montgomery, on charges of violating Alabama’s Fair Campaign Practices Act.
Marshall said in a press release that Burkette failed to properly deposit campaign contributions in the proper bank account during his run for Montgomery City Council in 2015 and 2016. The state alleges that Burkette intentionally failed to deposit $3,625 of campaign contributions into his campaign checking account and instead deposited or cashed those dollars into his personal bank account.
Alabama Daily News confirmed on Tuesday that Burkette was resigning because of concerns over his health and discussions with prosecutors who have been investigating potential ethics violations. Burkette said he was in discussions with prosecutors and could not discuss the details because he was bound by a confidentiality agreement.
A violation of the campaign checking account provision of the Fair Campaign Practices Act is a class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to one year in prison and a fine not exceeding $6,000, the press release said.
Burkett served on the Montgomery City Council from 2007 to 2018. He was elected to the Alabama Senate in 2018.
Burkette suffered a stroke in December 2018 and has worked through several months of therapy. His recovery progress was evident in the 2020 Regular Session of the Legislature.