The Rev. Al Sharpton and his National Action Network have reportedly been fined $285,000 for violating federal election rules during his 2004 bid for president.

The New York Post reports that the Federal Election Commission, in a decision to be made public next month, found Sharpton’s Democratic primary campaign accepted hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions from private sources.

The FEC also found that campaign kept poor records and commingled funds with Sharpton’s civil-rights group. All are prohibited under the Federal Election Campaign Act.

According to an earlier audit, Sharpton was to pay a $500,000 penalty. His spokeswoman, Rachel Noerdlinger, tells the Post that Sharpton is pleased by the reduced fine and the FEC found no evidence of intentional wrongdoing by the campaign.

(Source: 1010WINS)