According to the order and agreed resolution submitted to Masden, the TEC cited him for accepting corporate contributions, failing to properly disclose political expenditures for reimbursements, failing to properly disclose political expenditures made with personal funds and failure to properly disclose total political contributions maintained.

In the documents, the TEC states that a complaint was sent to the TEC alleging that Masden accepted a contribution from a corporation. Masden’s original July 2007 semiannual report disclosed a political contribution of $100 from Magnolia Sign Source on May 30, 2007.

Magnolia Sign Source, Inc. is a domestic for-profit corporation. Masden swore in his correction affidavit that the check accepted did not indicate the company was a corporation anywhere on the actual check itself at the time it was deposited.

He also stated that “a reimbursement for the $100 was issued.”

“Once I found out it was a corporation check, I paid those people back,” Masden said.

In regard to maintaining political contribution amounts, Masden stated in a corrected affidavit that the correct balance from the January 2007 report was not carried over on the original report.

The resolution also discloses that Masden filed correction affidavits to the January and July 2007 semiannual reports as well as the January and July 2008 reports correcting the mistakes.

Masden, who works out of the Precinct 5 facility on Friendship Drive in Magnolia, said that he received the complaint in 2008 and corrected the affidavits with support in documents and then submitted them to the commission and to the complainant’s address.

The case remained pending until September 2009.

Masden received the proposed order and agreed resolution on March 8 and after reviewing it and making proper changes, said he paid his penalty out of his own pocket.

“Without a doubt, there were some incorrections,” he said. “I corrected it, that’s where we stand today. Just about every elected official in Montgomery County had this done. It had not happened to me before. I made an error, I corrected those errors and I’ll try to do better. That’s all I can do.”

Masden has been Precinct 5 Montgomery County Justice of the Peace since 2007.

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