Penalty against lobbying firm sends message to an industry unfamiliar with prosecution

For years, lobbyists who have failed to comply with a disclosure law have done so without being prosecuted. As lobbying evolved into a multibillion-dollar industry, few of the thousands of suspected lobbying violations reviewed by authorities have been flagged for possible prosecution.

However, there is an upward trend in enforcement of lobbying disclosure laws, and some wonder if the first criminal charge related to lobbying is imminent.

Attorney Chris DeLacy said, "I still don't think people take the [Lobbying Disclosure Act] quite as seriously as they should. Certainly, a criminal prosecution would get a lot of people's attention."

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