Hebert fined for campaign violation

Fort Bend County Judge Bob Hebert has agreed to pay a $100 fine for violating Texas election law by paying his wife for campaign work in 2006.

Hebert said he paid his wife $8 an hour for bookkeeping work, and reported in his campaign filings payments to her of $5,000 and $1,200 in August and November of 2006.

Hebert said Tuesday he was not aware he broke campaign laws until a journalist contacted him, and he decided to reimburse the money from his wife to his campaign account.

Richmond Democratic Party activist Susan Bankston nevertheless filed a sworn complaint against Hebert, a Republican, with the Texas Ethics Commission, outlining the payments to Hebert's wife.

That complaint was sealed to the public, but on April 30 Hebert agreed to sign an order with the ethics commission in which he acknowledges he violated Texas Election Code section 253.041. The $100 fine was included in the order.

The signed order is public record and was recently posted on Bankston's Web site.

"I did it. I admit it. I'm the dumbest criminal on earth because I told everybody I did it," said Hebert.