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SECREST CAMPAIGN

Seattle City Attorney Pete Holmes has agreed to drop fraud charges against former city council candidate Sheley Secrest, stemming from her participation in Seattle’s new voucher-based campaign finance program, if she abides by a two-year agreement.

The deal, first reported by the Seattle Times, requires Secrest to complete 48 hours of community service by March 2020, and prohibits her from participating in the "democracy vouchers" program she was accused of defrauding in 2019. She must also not commit any criminal law violations for two years.

If Secrest violates any terms of the agreement, a city judge would determine her guilt or innocence based on police reports and other evidence filed with the city attorney. She faces charges of false reporting, which carries a maximum sentence of one year in jail, and attempted theft, which is punishable by up to 90 days in jail.

The allegations against Secrest surfaced after a former campaign manager reported to police that she donated her own money to her campaign to reach the threshold for the $150,000 Democracy Voucher program. In December, Secrest suggested on Facebook that the allegations were racially motivated.

The Seattle Ethics and Elections Commission still has the option of pursuing civil charges against Secrest.

Secrest, an attorney and local NAACP leader, ran for the Position 8 seat on the Seattle City Council. She finished fourth out of eight candidates.