The Hill News

Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) agreed to pay a $23,000 civil fine after it was discovered he used a rent-controlled apartment as a campaign office, according to Federal Election Commission records obtained this week by The New York Times.

The FEC had said that Rangel accepted an illegal campaign contribution by leasing the apartment from its owner at below-market rates, paying $630 per month in rent while other similar units in the building rented for more than $1,700 per month. 

The unit was in the same building in which Rangel lived, and should not have been available for use as a political office under New York City laws that require rent-stabilized apartments to be used as a primary residence.

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