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Former Oregon First Lady Cylvia Hayes agrees to settle ethics charges for $44K

Cylvia Hayes has agreed to pay for using the Oregon governor's office for personal profit.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Former Oregon First Lady Cylvia Hayes has agreed to pay $44,000 for ethics violations arising from her use of public office for personal profit.

The Oregonian/OregonLive reports the settlement signed in January but was made public yesterday by the ethics commission. It states Hayes will not contest that she broke ethics laws. It allows Hayes to maintain that she didn't knowingly break the laws.

Private groups paid Hayes more than $200,000 to lobby for eco-friendly policies. Investigators later concluded she got these contracts because of her access to then Governor John Kitzhaber and his aides. Hayes was Kitzhaber's finance at the time. This violates state law.

This scandal led to Kitzhaber's resignation and Hayes financial ruin.

The ethics commission will vote on Thursday whether to accept the settlement.

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