OCE Referral Regarding Rep. John Tierney
OCE Referral Regarding Rep. John Tierney
On June 13, 2013, the Office of Congressional Ethics transmitted a referral to the Committee on Ethics of the United States House of Representatives regarding Representative John Tierney.
Nature of Review
Representative John F. Tierney's wife managed the daily financial and family obligations of her brother for several years. In exchange for her assistance, her brother paid her monthly. From 2007 to 2010, Mrs. Tierney received approximately $40,000 to $160,000 from her brother. Representative Tierney filed financial disclosure statements from 2008 to 2011 that do not disclose that Mrs. Tierney received earned income from her brother. Representative Tierney filed his joint federal income tax returns with his wife from 2008 to 2010 that do not include income from her brother.
If Representative Tierney did not include the source of income earned by his spouse from any person that exceeded $1,000 in his financial disclosure statements, he may have violated House rules and federal law.
If Representative Tierney did not include income earned by his spouse in his joint federal income tax returns, he may have violated federal law.
OCE Recommendation
The Board of the OCE recommended that the Committee on Ethics further review the allegation concerning the financial disclosure statements because there is substantial reason to believe that Representative Tierney's wife earned income from a source that was not disclosed in his financial disclosure statements.
The Board of the OCE recommended that the Committee on Ethics further review the allegation concerning the federal income tax returns because there is substantial reason to believe that Representative Tierney's wife received income that he did not include in their joint federal income tax returns.
Committee Conclusion
On September 11, 2013, the Committee on Ethics released a statement indicating it found the presently-available evidence was inconclusive as to whether payments to Mrs. Tierney were income or gifts and does not warrant a finding that Representative Tierney intentionally mischaracterized the nature of they payments for financial disclosure or tax purposes. The Committee voted to close the matter.