MANHATTAN — Rep. Charlie Rangel has reportedly agreed to pay a $23,000 fine to settle campaign finance violations related to a rent-subsidized apartment in Harlem.
Rangel and his campaign agreed to pay the civil fine after the 21-term Democrat exceeded campaign contribution limits when he leased a rent-stabilized apartment below market rate for use as a campaign office, the New York Times reported, citing Federal Election Commission records.
Rent-stabilized apartments can only be used as primary residences, according to city and state rules.
Rangel had rented at least four rent-stabilized apartments at the Lenox Terrace complex in Harlem, in addition to his home, according to the Times.
A spokeswoman for the congressman, Hannah Kim, stressed in a statement that the agreement should not be seen as an admission of guilt.
"People settle not because they're guilty but because they don't want to go through the cumbersome process and expense to show they're not guilty," she said.
Rangel was censured by the house in 2010 after the House Ethics Committee found him guilty on 11 counts of ethics violations, including failing to pay taxes on rental revenue from a villa he owned in the Dominican Republic, and fundraising practices surrounding a City College school being built in his name.
Rangel easily won reelection in 2010 despite the ethics charges and has announced plans to run this year for a 22nd term representing Upper Manhattan.
