Did Camden County Freeholder Candidate Vincent Squire Break The Law AGAIN?
/
Vincent Squire
It appears Vincent Squire, the Camden County freeholder candidate disavowed by his own party because has a current second-degree assault charge filed against him by his own son, which is pending in Superior Court, may have run afoul of the law again.
It seems that Mr. Squire held a game of chance at a festival in Gloucester Township over the weekend. One of his campaign volunteers actually went to the Republican booth at the festival to try and sell chances. “A volunteer from Squire’s campaign came to our booth and asked us if we wanted to take a chance at hitting a hole in one for $5 to win a golf bag,” said Tom Crone.
Sounds like a raffle to me, better known as a game of chance. Squire doesn’t hide the fact that there is going to be a drawing in November.
Screenshot from Squire’s freeholder campaign Facebook page
So, I checked to see if Squire followed the law. First, I went to the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs website and checked Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission Registered Organizations section, which they state is updated daily, and downloaded all four Excel files and there is no Vincent Squire listed.
Because the law also states that one holding a game of chance must also get a permit in the municipality they hold the game of chance I called the Gloucester Township Clerk’s office and spoke with a very nice lady. “The only permit issued was to the operator of the main stage for a basket raffle,” said the nice lady in the Gloucester Township Clerk’s office.
As best I can tell, Squire is not registered with the Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission and he definitely did not have a permit to hold his raffle. There is no doubt he has failed to comply with at least one law.
Not to be overlooked is the fact the Squire campaign was taking $5 bills for a chance to hit a hole in one. Were these $5 bills contributions to his freeholder campaign? If so, they must be reported. Did he accept any $5 bills from minors? If so, I hope Squire has followed the rules as outlined in the Election Law Enforcement Commission’s Compliance Manual for Political Committees:
F. Contributions from a Minor A minor is any person under the age of 18 years. A contribution by a minor is attributed to the legal guardian(s) of the minor unless:
1) The minor is 14 years of age or older;
2) The contribution is made from funds comprised of the minor’s earned income; and,
3) Sworn statements made by the minor and by the minor’s legal guardian(s) are submitted with the contribution which state that the decision to contribute was solely that of the minor and that the funds used to make the contribution were comprised solely of the minor’s earned income.
It’s a good thing the Camden County Republicans dumped this guy because he obviously has a problem following the rules. Now, I’ll sit back and wait to see if any of his “friends” file complaints with the proper authorities.
Screenshot from Squire’s personal Facebook page. Notice he freely admits there will be a drawing for the golf clubs (i.e. a raffle)
