A former campaign treasurer for Virginia Democrat Sens. Tim Kaine and Mark Warner has pleaded guilty to embezzling campaign contributions and tax evasion.
The former treasurer, Katherine M. Buchanan, pled guilty last week to embezzling over $840,000. The funds were used to finance personal expenses and luxuries such as aesthetic services, a Peloton exercise bike, dining, landscaping, airline tickets for a trip to Italy, legal fees, chartered yacht tours, concert tickets and suites, according to the Justice Department.
The 59-year-old, a resident of Alexandria, Virginia, was also a campaign manager for Florida Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy.
She worked as a political campaign compliance consultant for over 20 years for various PACs and campaigns. Starting in 2020, Buchanan used her access as treasurer to embezzle contributed funds and use the money for personal reasons. This continued through 2024.
The Justice Department also reported that Buchanan under-reported her income from 2017 to 2022 to the Internal Revenue Service to avoid paying taxes on that income. This resulted in a loss of $671,200 unpaid federal taxes.
Buchanan is scheduled to be sentenced on October 8. She could face up to five years in prison for each charge.
