Former congressional candidate pleads guilty to accepting an illegal campaign contribution | CNN Politics

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A former Republican congressional candidate pleaded guilty Wednesday to accepting a campaign contribution that violated campaign finance law.

Lynda Bennett – who was backed by then-President Donald Trump and his chief of staff Mark Meadows in her 2020 run for Meadows’ former House seat in North Carolina – pleaded guilty to one count of “accepting contributions in the name of another,” according to the Justice Department.

Bennett faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison, though the Justice Department has agreed to recommend a sentence of probation.

In announcing the plea, the Justice Department said that Bennett transferred $25,000 – which a family member had loaned her – to her federal campaign committee. The sum was part of an $80,000 transfer, and Bennett reported that entire amount as a personal loan rather than disclosing that it included the family member’s loan.

“Under the FECA, Bennett was required to report a loan from a third-party individual as a campaign contribution,” the department said, referring to the Federal Election Campaign Act.

Bennett is scheduled to be sentenced on June 20.

“Lynda is grateful for the support of her family and friends, and glad to move on to the next step in the process,” Bennett’s attorney, Kearns Davis, told CNN.