Senate candidate Steve Garvey didn’t disclose all the money he made last year, new complaint alleges
One of the sources of income Garvey allegedly failed to disclose is money he received from selling videos on Cameo, the complaint says.
A government watchdog organization filed a federal complaint on Monday, alleging that U.S. Senate candidate Steve Garvey violated federal law by failing to disclose multiple sources of his income last year.
In a complaint filed with the U.S. Justice Department on Monday, July 22, the left-leaning campaign finance reform group End Citizens United alleged that Garvey, a Republican, did not report all of his income from 2023. Federal candidates are required by law to disclose personal financial information, including assets, income and investments.
Garvey did not disclose honoraria payments, earned income from Cameo (a website and app where users can buy personalized videos from celebrities), positions he’s held outside of his Senate campaign and assets from his spouse or any bank accounts, the group said in a press release.
According to the six-page complaint, Garvey held at least seven meet-and-greets and gave speeches last year that were not campaign-related. The complaint alleged that three of those event organizers told a reporter for the online news site Slate that they paid Garvey for his appearance, one saying they gave him over $5,000.
When asked on the financial disclosure form whether any individual or organization paid him or his spouse more than $200 for an article, speech, or appearance, Garvey answered no.
Andy Gharakhani, Garvey’s campaign manager, dismissed the complaint as a “publicity stunt” using “baseless accusations to weaponize the justice system.” The Senate Ethics Committee had requested “certain technical additions and adjustments,” with his personal financial disclosure report, “which he has been diligently working on,” Gharakhani said.
“Amendments to these reports are a common practice, and Steve will file his updated report when it is ready,” he added. “We fully expect this will resolve the matter.”
The End Citizens United complaint alleged that the former Dodger also did not disclose payments he received from Cameo, which he joined in 2019. Reviews posted to his account are as recent as March 13, and a five-star review posted on Nov. 27, 2023, has attached to it a video in which Garvey references his U.S. Senate run. Garvey did not report any payments from Cameo as earned income.
His Cameo profile says “Garvey isn’t available right now,” and it doesn’t list how much he charged for the videos. According to the complaint, Garvey made $149 per video.
Garvey also did not report positions he held outside of being a candidate, but according to End Citizens United, Garvey’s website in 2023 highlighted his position as president of Garvey Management Group and was also listed as a member of the UCLA Neurosurgery Board of Advisors.
Garvey reported earning $121,874 last year in earned and non-investment income from four sources: GEP Talent, Fox Television, The Topps Company and IPG DXTRA, Inc. He also reported up to a couple hundred thousand dollars in assets, including up to $100,000 from Major League Baseball’s pension plan.
End Citizens United President Tiffany Muller said voters deserve full transparency about Garvey’s financial dealings to “get a better picture of what he stands to gain in the U.S. Senate.”
“Steve Garvey is deliberately deceiving California voters by concealing his financial interests,” Muller said. “Refusing to provide a complete and truthful personal financial disclosure report is not just a blatant violation of the law but a betrayal of public trust.”
Muller requested “an immediate investigation into this matter,” as written in the complaint.
Rep. Adam Schiff, the Democratic contender in the race, used reports about the complaint to go after his opponent on Monday.
“Looks like Steve Garvey has been following the Trump playbook a bit too closely. Won’t pay his taxes, conceals his sources of income — thinks the rules apply to everyone but him,” Schiff said in a statement.
Garvey previously came under scrutiny for accruing nearly $4 million in 40 federal and state tax liens over the last 40 years.