Ethics Committee: Sen. Ford Campaign Funds Bought Porn

In a hearing before the Senate ethics committee on Thursday, Sen. Robert Ford (D- Charleston) was alleged to have misused thousands of dollars in campaign funds. Most notably, the committee alleged that some of the money was spent at a store for adult entertainment.

The committee reviewed dozens of examples where money donated to Ford's campaign ended up in his personal account. The committee alleged Ford made a range of purchases with campaign funds--including postage and car insurance, among many others.

Ford's lawyer, William Runyon, previously said the mistakes were a result of "well-intentioned errors" and reiterated that claim again before the committee. Runyon's call for the charges to be dismissed was not granted. That request is attached to this article.

Ford has seven accusations against him, stemming from a time period from July 2009 to the present.

Ford has served in the Senate since 1993. If the 10-member Ethics Committee finds he broke ethics laws, Ford could face $2,000 fine per violation. The committee has an equal number of Democrats and Republicans. During the hearing, Ford sat quiet for the most part, speaking only to his attorney.

The Ethics Committee is expected to complete the public portion of the hearing on Friday.

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