Aide Says Baugh Knew About Decoy Plans

An aide to Assemblyman Scott Baugh (R-Huntington Beach) testified Tuesday that Baugh was “furious” at a GOP plan to recruit a friend of Baugh’s as a decoy Democratic candidate in a crucial 1995 election, but Baugh apparently did nothing to stop it.

Todd Nugent, who worked as Baugh’s campaign manager, said he told Baugh the day before the filing deadline for candidates that key members of Baugh’s campaign were discussing placing Baugh’s friend Laurie Campbell on the ballot to siphon votes from the principal Democratic candidate.

Baugh “was angered,” began yelling and “thought it was a crazy idea,” said Nugent, who testified in Municipal Court at a preliminary hearing into allegations that Baugh falsified campaign documents in the 1995 election contest.

Pressed by Assistant Dist. Atty. John Conley, Nugent said that he did nothing to stop the ploy to get Campbell on the ballot and knows of no effort by Baugh to forestall her candidacy either.

Baugh is charged with five felony perjury counts and 13 misdemeanor violations of the Campaign Reform Act for allegedly falsifying campaign spending and financial disclosure forms during the crucial campaign to recall and replace Assemblywoman Doris Allen (R-Cypress).

Prosecutors contend that Baugh falsified his campaign spending reports in part to conceal a $1,000 contribution from Campbell, who was recruited by Republicans to ensure Baugh’s victory.

Baugh has said that while he made mistakes in the campaign, none of them warrant criminal prosecution. He has said that many of the errors were attributable to errors and bad advice from his campaign treasurer, Dan Traxler.

Nugent also testified that Traxler signed Baugh’s name to one of the disputed campaign reports and that Baugh did not read a second one before signing it and giving it back to Nugent. Both of the documents had omitted the $1,000 contribution from Campbell, which she and her husband, Rick, gave to Baugh a week before she filed her candidacy papers.

Allan Stokke, Baugh’s attorney, has argued that Baugh had nothing to do with the Campbell candidacy. He also told Municipal Judge William Evans that when Baugh learned of the errors in the reports, he instructed Baugh to fix them.

“Specifically because Baugh was not reading the documents” he could not have the specific intent to falsify that is required under a perjury statute, Stokke said.

Conley said it doesn’t absolve Baugh of criminal liability for perjury just because Baugh did not sign the first report and can prove he did not read either of them.

A candidate is required by law to file the reports, sign the documents and to exercise “reasonable diligence” in seeing they are accurate, prosecutors said.

Baugh made no effort to withdraw the one signed by Traxler, prosecutors have argued, and Baugh signed the second one under “penalty of perjury” below an admonition that reads: “I have reviewed the statement and to the best of my knowledge the information contained herein is true and complete.”