Press Release  Attorney General's Office Reaches Settlements With Senator Ryan Fattman, Worcester County Register Of Probate Stephanie Fattman, And The Sutton Town Republican Committee For Illegal Campaign Contributions

BOSTON — The Attorney General’s Office has reached settlements with Senator Ryan Fattman (Worcester and Hampden Counties); Worcester County Register of Probate Stephanie Fattman; Donald Fattman, for actions taken as the Treasurer of the Ryan Fattman Committee; the Republican State Committee; the Sutton Republican Town Committee; and Anthony Fattman for actions taken as Chair of the Sutton Republican Town Committee, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell announced today.  

These settlements resolve allegations that each person or entity violated state campaign finance laws during Stephanie Fattman’s campaign for re-election as Register of Probate in 2020. The payments by the campaign committees of Register Fattman and Senator Fattman represent the largest amounts ever paid by candidate committees to the Commonwealth to resolve alleged campaign finance violations. 

The AG’s Office reached a settlement with the Massachusetts Republican State Committee on the same matter last month. 

“Enforcing our campaign finance laws, and holding those who violate them accountable, are critical functions of our office,” said AG Campbell. “We will continue to hold accountable those who misuse positions of power, break the law and undermine the public’s trust.” 

“OCPF will continue its role in educating and informing candidates of their duties and responsibilities under the campaign finance law,” said OCPF Director William Campbell. “Where apparent violations exist, the agency will take measures to ensure the public’s interest in accurate and timely disclosure of campaign finance activity.” 

These settlements follow an investigation conducted by the Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) and referred to the Attorney General’s Office regarding campaign contributions, funneled from Sen. Fattman’s campaign committee through state and local Republican committees, to Register Fattman’s committee. The investigation revealed that in 2020, Senator Fattman’s campaign donated money to the Republican State Committee and the Sutton Republican Town Committee, which used the money to fund over 550,000 mailers in support of (and made other in-kind donations to) Register Fattman’s campaign re-election campaign. These contributions, totaling more than $160,000, of which $137,000 flowed through the Republican State Committee, far exceeded the legal limit $100 on contributions from one candidate to another.  

Stephanie Fattman and the Stephanie Fattman Committee have agreed to disgorge the full amount of the impermissible contributions funneled to the Stephanie Fattman Committee through the Republican State Committee, i.e., $137,000.  This amount includes disgorging all current assets of her campaign committee and making four annual payments of $27,000 from the campaign committee, to make up the difference, on or before October 31, 2027.  

Senator Fattman is required to pay $55,000 and Donald Fattman, former Treasurer of the Ryan Fattman Committee, is required to pay $10,000.  

As outlined in the agreements, both Stephanie and Ryan Fattman will retain professional compliance agents to ensure that their campaigns comply with all campaign finance laws through the 2026 primary and general elections. 

The Sutton Republican Town Committee also entered into an agreement and has paid the remains of its Committee bank account to the Commonwealth, totaling $5,211.48. As part of the agreement, Anthony Fattman, Senator Fattman’s brother and Chair of the Sutton Republican Town Committee, will resign effective immediately. Anthony Fattman is prohibited from serving as Chair in the future.  

Last month the AG’s Office reached a settlement agreement with the Massachusetts Republican State Committee for their role in the same campaign finance violations. The Committee has agreed to pay a total of $15,000 by December 2023.

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